Mass Effect: Hearts of Many Through Time
by pfcvillanueva
Summary: John Shepard and his sister Jane are 2 of the most gifted humans in existence. Both show courage, honor, determination, strength, and loyalty to their friends and family. John soon finds himself wondering if such a thing as true love exist after meeting a beautiful girl with raven black hair and crystal blue eyes. AU where Miranda is not grown but born.
1. Encounter in another Age

Mass Effect: Hearts of Many Through Time

 **A/N: Okay so this is my first story. Like ever. I'm not sure that I even wrote something like this during high school. Either way I hope it's something that you all would enjoy.**

 **Big things in here to note are as follows:**

 **Brother and Sister Shepard (I always wondered what it would be like if Shepard had a sibling in the game. Plus I have siblings myself and I know sometimes they can both make me laugh and infuriate me)**

 **Male Shepard and Miranda pairing (not sure who to pair Female Shepard with but I'll figure it out as I write)**

 **Miranda has a Mother who gives birth to both her and Oriana.**

 **Both of the Shepards are biotics. John (Male Shepard) using that and soldier class while Jane (Female Shepard) likes to use the infiltrator class.**

 **Both can use the other classes but later on set their preferences to what I put in line 4.**

 **Story will start from when they are 5 years old.**

 **As this is my first time writing please review to let me know what I can do better. Definitely open to suggestions.**

 **And of course I own nothing (except for this laptop. Even then it's my wife's) so all rights go to the creators of Mass Effect.**

Chapter 1: Encounter in another Age

 **Earth – Australia - 2159:**

Sunshine. Fresh breeze. Shade. Laughter. All around a perfect day. John stood and stared at the scene before him. He was in a large park with a rather nice and expansive play area. His sister, Jane, was running around with the other kids playing tag or something of the like. She was laughing and having a blast. John thought she had one of the greatest smiles around. He knew one day she would grow up to be a beautiful girl. One who would, no doubt, annoy him to the end of the world just to see him react and smile. Jane had a way of seeing through him with those emerald green eyes of hers that seemed to almost sparkle. As he sat leaning his back next to a tree he wondered what his life would be like in the coming months. His mother's enlistment in the Alliance has their family moving to the colonies out near the Terminus Systems. Both his parents had expressed concerns with this new upcoming change, but both were willing to do what was asked of them.

They would be transported by Hannah's new ship she had been assigned to, the SSV EINSTEIN, from which it would drop them off at their new home. John had never been to space, so this was a new experience and hopefully not a dull one. John continued to observe the different things around him, after all it was his first and probably last time he would visit Sydney. Before they would leave Joseph, John's father, had suggested they take a family vacation as a way to say goodbye to Earth. Jane suggested they visit Australia to see some of the native animals found there. Jane's favorite animal for some reason was a kangaroo, while John felt you couldn't go wrong with the North American Bald Eagle. So here they were at a park on their last day before their departure in a park relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather.

As he kept looking around he noticed a girl sitting on a bench under the shade also observing the people around her. As he stared at her he couldn't help but appreciate how pretty she was even for her age. She couldn't have been older than he was. She had black hair. Almost as black as night but not quite there. Her skin was pale white but looked flawless. John continued to stare at her until he noticed two things: 1) her eyes were so blue and clear it was like looking at the sky, 2) those blue eyes were staring back at him.

Miranda looked at the other kids having fun and couldn't help but feel envious. She had always wanted to play with the other kids but was never quite sure how to approach them. More often than not she would find herself on the bench she was currently sitting on and just watch the kids and other families. Today was no exception save for the new family that showed up consisting of a mother, father, son and daughter. She knew her mother felt some sense of sadness at the distance Miranda put between her and other kids, wanting only for her to make friends when she could. She couldn't help it. Often she felt out of place around other kids especially when talking to them. Despite her age, she was unusually mature, viewing the world the way some adults would. Even when she did play with other kids, she was just too good at the games they would play, some even going as far as accusing her of cheating. She found that funny considering one game was tag. It wasn't her fault she was faster than the other kids. She just was naturally gifted.

Today she saw the new girl with red hair playing tag with the others. She had to admit she was faster than the others because, from where she stood, it looked like she was winning. Then something else caught her sight. The boy with black hair that looked to be around her age was staring at her. She was baffled. Miranda had never once caught someone looking at her with curiosity in their eyes. Often she would catch people staring but never like what this boy was doing. There was a softness to his eyes and when he noticed she was staring at him, even from the distance she could see a blush coming on while quickly turning away. As she watched him, he would still peek glances at her until finally he looked at her with a sheepish smile and just waved. She was so shocked Miranda couldn't do nothing but laugh and wave at the boy who still had the sheepish grin.

John saw what had to be the most wondrous smile he had ever seen. Not even Jane's smile was like the girl's he was looking at. Finally, he got up to go talk to this girl who just radiated warmness when she was smiling. As John approached he took in other features of the girl that he couldn't make out earlier. For one her lips were red. Not like normal kids but almost like an apple. Looking at her hair closely now it was like the color of a raven with how dark it was yet it also seemed to shine if that was even possible. Her nose was what you'd call cute, not too sharp or angular either. What seemed to bring out her smile even more was the small dimples she had, he noticed since she was still smiling at him. Finally, her eyes; they weren't a sky blue as he had thought earlier, instead they were almost like a cross between the sky and a crystal. He couldn't place it but they were captivating. As he marveled at this girl only one thought came to mind: perfect.

"Finally decided to stop glancing over here and see what I was laughing about?" She was confident that was for sure. "I figured I was done making a fool out of myself so I thought I'd at least introduce myself" John said as he continued to look at this girl. "Hello my name is John William Shepard. What's your name?" Miranda looked at John and couldn't help but like his name "Hello John, my name is Miranda Lawson. No fancy middle name like you though sorry" she says with a grin forming on her face. John couldn't help but smile at this granted her sense of humor was not the greatest but at least it was there. Miranda looks at John with a calculating eye as if she's gauging his character and appearance. John was a well-tanned boy who looked quite tall despite his age granted his hair was almost as dark as hers though not quite there. John was a cute boy who would no doubt grow up to catch the attention from most other girls if not all other girls. What she found to be his most appealing feature was his eyes. She felt like she knew them from somewhere but she could not place them and also thought that was impossible since this was her first time meeting John.

"So what brings you to Australia John? I can't imagine it's to stare and talk to total strangers and see the kangaroos" she decided to ask having been curious about him. "Actually it was only to see kangaroos. The meeting strangers wasn't on the agenda but it is a nice plus" John said prompting Miranda to giggle. He like the way her voice sounded with her accent especially when she laughed. "So why are you here by yourself? Aren't you going to play with the other kids or do you think you can't keep up with them?" This caused Miranda to raise her eyebrows and stare at him, as if he offended her though it was more of amusement than offense. "I'm hear with my mother over there sitting by the bench next to the water fountain. As for why I'm sitting here it's because I'm not good at a slow pace. The other kids don't like that so here I sit." She waved at her mother who waved back giving a smile. John wondered if that was what Miranda would grow up to look like, because if that was the case then Miranda would no doubt be exquisite. Her mother was like a carbon copy of Miranda, except of course much older and more filled out with, you know, lady parts. "I see. Well if you want you can come play with me and my sister" John pointed to the red headed girl who was dodging and weaving between, under and over the other kids. "Hmm, it certainly would be a welcomed challenge to try and catch her. I think I can manage that however. You're on John" standing up as Miranda said those last few words.

John smiled and started walking over to the other kids with Miranda by his side. "Hey Jane!" Jane stopped and looked at her brother only for one of the other kids to tag her and yell "YOU'RE IT!" causing laughter from the others with one of the other children shouting "Oh finally someone tags her!" Jane's expression of shock at what just happened caused her brother to laugh at her while Miranda studied Jane. She thought that John's sister was pretty and would no doubt grow up to be more so. Her green eyes were caring and strong which made her hair look like fire. In a sense she was a very beautiful girl much like herself. "John what was that for?! You made me get tagged!" Jane replied with a scowl forming. "I didn't tell you to stop. That was you're doing. Besides I figured the other kids needed a break from chasing you so I thought I'd help". "Hey are you two related?" one of the girls asks John to which Jane decides to answer for him with a "Yup, he's as fast and slippery as me so watch out" causing some to groan at the prospects of chasing another one until Miranda got their attention. "Hey are you going to play with us to?" one of the boys asked Miranda who just nodded and said "John here said that his sister would be a challenge so I figured I'd find out for myself." All the other kids cheered with 'thank god' and 'YES' putting confused looks on John and Jane who asked in unison "Anything we should know?" One of the girls replied to both of them saying "Oh just wait. She's the fastest one here. No one can even catch her. Maybe you might Jane since you are pretty fast yourself." Jane looked at Miranda with a look and smile that said 'oh really' then saying "In that case, challenge accepted! Everyone get together. When I say scatter, game on!"

Lillian Lawson sat on the bench next to water fountain watching her daughter interacting with the other kids. She was surprised and happy that her daughter was playing with the other children. Normally she would sit by herself because the other kids wouldn't approach her. Lillian was sad by this, she really wanted a normal life for her daughter however that proved difficult with her husband causing all kinds of hell inside their household. She noticed a boy approach her daughter so casually as though he wasn't intimidated by her. When Miranda waved at her she saw the boy also wave. What really caught her off guard was the sight of her daughter laughing and smiling causing her heart to warm up. She didn't see her smile like that too often and it always made her smile when she did catch it.

As she continued to watch her daughter with the boy, a couple came over to where she was sitting. The woman asked "Do you mind if we sit with you?" "Not at all. Please feel free" Lillian replied to the woman. If she had to guess she would estimate that the couple was in their late 20s to early 30s. The woman was very attractive with hair that was red yet dark. Her posture suggested that she was military with both confidence yet grace. She knew she was a woman who held values and standards but the gentleness in her blue eyes suggested she was caring and fair. "I see my son has taken an interest in your daughter if I'm not mistaken. Hi my name is Hannah Shepard and this is my husband Joseph" Hannah said while extending her hand. Lillian took Hannah's hand with a firm yet gentle handshake "Please to meet you two. My name is Lillian Lawson."

As the two shook hands Joseph was watching his son and the girl start making their way towards the group Jane was playing with, "Looks like our son convinced your daughter to join him in playing with the other kids." Lillian turned her attention back to her daughter who was now talking to the red headed little girl whom she would guess belonged to the couple that now sat next to her. "I take it that those two belong to you?" Lillian asked Hannah who replied saying "Yup, the little red head is Jane, and as my husband said earlier the boy with your daughter is our son, John. What's your daughter's name if I may ask?" Lillian smiled saying, "It's perfectly alright. My daughter's name is Miranda." Hannah looked at Miranda and said "She is very beautiful. She looks just like her mother if I do say so myself." Lillian beamed with pride at the comment to both her and her daughter. Normally she would detect a hint of Jealousy from other women especially if they were with their spouses. But with Hannah she detected none of that, instead she felt her words were genuine. Her husband Joseph was no different showing respect towards both women by not ogling at Lillian's appearance and gracious 'assets' while talking to her, hence why most women were jealous when they were talking to her.

As they continued to talk all three looked at the children in unison along with all the other parents in the park. The children had let out what sounded like a war cry causing Lillian to raise an eyebrow while Hannah put her hand to her forehead saying, "Why is it every time we go to a park, this happens" gesturing to her daughter on the opposing side of the other kids. "Jane must've accepted a challenge. She never could turn down a challenge no matter who or what it is" Joseph said earning a questioning look from Lillian "Your kids do this often?" Hannah looked up to the group of children, "Yes, it is almost impossible not to have a 'battle of the toddlers' when my kids get involved. They like to involve all the kids in their sibling competitions." Lillian couldn't help but laugh at how Hannah sounded exasperated at her children's antics, "I take it John and Jane compete with each other then. Well then they should find my Miranda to be quite the competitor. She likes to be challenged."

As they sat they could hear Jane yell at the other kids, "Alright! When I yell 'scatter' everyone start running. If I catch you, you're on the 'it' team and have to start chasing the other 'not-it' kids. Everyone ready?" "YEAH!" all the kids replied raising their fists in the air, even Miranda and John. This caused the parents on the sidelines to laugh at the children's eagerness. "Ready. Set. SCATTER!" Just like that the game was on. Kids were running left and right to avoid Jane using the play equipment to put a barrier between them and the enemy who in this case was chasing two of the other kids. The parents were oddly getting into the scene to go as far as cheering their children on to avoid the 'it' team. By now Jane had already tagged two of the other kids who were now going off in different directions to get the other kids. One was chasing John trying to catch him. John was proving to be very fast, as fast as his sister who had just caught another of the kids. By now more than half were on the 'it' team.

Jane had somehow organized the 'it' kids to work in groups to corner the kids who weren't it. Eventually one by one, there were more 'it' children leaving only Miranda and John left. Both had their backs to the play equipment which looked like a giant jungle gym with an obstacle course. "Hmm, that could be a problematic situation. Looks like John and Miranda will have to use the jungle gym to avoid being caught." Hannah said as she crossed her arms but bringing one hand to her chin in a thinking posture. Lillian thought and had to agree while also noticing the looks John and Miranda were sharing "Looks like they're thinking the same thing as well" pointing back to the two who now made a break for it climbing up to avoid the 'it' team.

"Split up and cut them off!" Jane yelled at the others as she started climbing after Miranda managing to keep up with her as the other kids raced towards John with half going to the other side to cut him off at the end. Miranda and Jane were racing across the chain bridge causing it to shake with each running step they took. John was faring better than Miranda as all the other kids were slower than him. The problem he encountered was the amount of kids chasing him. If he had been on an open field they wouldn't be able to catch him in the slightest however the sheer number of them coupled with the tight turns of the play area caused a few close calls.

Often he would dodge at the last second just barely missing the other kids. As he ran, he came upon an open doorway that led to a small platform on the bottom with a cargo net to climb down. Deeming it would take too long to climb down he double backed the way he came, only when he was half way across the walkway the other kids caught up and started resuming the chase. As John started running again, he could feel his legs burning from the near dead sprint pace he had been going since getting inside the jungle gym. He wanted to go faster, needed to go faster realizing that if he didn't the other kids would catch him for sure. ' _Go_ ' he thought to himself as he tried to push harder ' _Go…Go…GGOOOO!_ ' and then in a burst of white light, John shot out of the doorway and leapt into the air landing on the platform more than a couple of yards away screaming his head off as he flew. Hannah and Joseph both stood up seeing what John had done, not really comprehending how it happened or what they just saw. Both just had an open mouth expression watching John land on the platform with the other kids reaching the doorway with the same expression on their face before one of them said "LET'S GET HIM!" Even from the distance Hannah could see the groan escape from her son as he got back up and continued running.

Miranda was running up the other end of the yard trying every trick she knew to shake her tail. However, no matter what she did Jane was one step behind trying as hard as she could to catch her. Both had never pushed as hard before as they have today. Miranda was currently running, or rather climbing the rock wall trying to get to the top quickly almost leaping from stone to stone. However she wasn't the only one. Jane herself was also making great progress on the chase slowly catching up to Miranda. Just as she was about to grab Miranda's leg, she jumped off the wall in an effort to ditch her tail who was still on the wall. Lillian jumped up in shock as she saw her daughter perform something so reckless, however what happened next took her by surprise completely. As Miranda fell the dozen feet, she willed herself to slow down otherwise the fall would very much hurt. As she continued to fall, she started to glow blue and slowly came to a stop on the ground that but still with enough force to stumble a bit when her feet hit the ground.

As the parents stared at Miranda something else caught their attention just above her. Jane had propped herself on the wall in a launch position with her legs squatted just beneath her. Even more she was glowing white. ' _I am not letting you get away!_ ' she thought and in that moment she launched herself off the wall at an alarming speed only to slow down a few feet from Miranda, tackling her as both fell to the ground panting. By this time none of the parents were sitting down as they had all became enraptured by the once simple game of tag, to the now young biotics showing incredible power. Then someone broke the silence that had went over the parents "YOU'RE IT!" "DAMN IT!" Both of the girls stood up then started making their way towards the sounds of the other kids. As Hannah, Joseph, and Lillian were watching, they became so captivated by the antics of their children they erupted into a cheer. Relieved they saw that both of their children were not hurt and instead one of them decided to curse causing some of the other parents to laugh.

John was on top of the small house area running on the roof away from the kids down below. If he could get out of the area he would have a shot, that was until he heard "YOU'RE IT!" followed by "DAMN IT!" At that moment, John knew his chance for success had dropped dramatically. When it came to speed Jane was his equal, but from the look of how Miranda had given Jane quite a chase, he would have to worry about her as well. So John started leaping from the roof to different parts of the play area. At one point he went down a rather large slide going what felt like 3 stories up. As he made his down the slide at the end he came face to face with Jane and Miranda staring and ready to pounce on him if he made a mistake. He knew he couldn't wait long as the other kids were approaching him some from the slide he just came down from. He decided to take his chances and charge Jane and Miranda trying to catch them off guard. It worked only to some extent as he managed to slip underneath Miranda and barely avoided Jane's swipe at him before running again.

Both of the girls were quickly on his tail with both trying to catch him. By the benches the parents were yelling for John to run while others were yelling for the other kids to catch him. Joseph was cheering on John yelling for him not to slow down, while Hannah and Lillian were cheering on the girls saying he would slow down soon. As John ran he found himself on a familiar route leading to the doorway. The walkway was only big enough for one person at a time so John lucked out as now the girls were following in a single file with Miranda right behind him and Jane behind her. The other kids were already by the platform outside waiting for John while watching them weave through the maze inside. Soon John saw the final stretch before the doorway. ' _Come on! Run faster damn it!_ ' Miranda could see John glowing the same white as Jane had before. ' _Oh no you DON'T!_ ' she thought as Miranda started to glow blue. Then in a flash of blue and white, both John and Miranda burst into the air while trying to catch each other.

As Miranda and John flew through the air, John realized they were very high up and knew that if they didn't do something that both of them would get hurt. In that instant, John grabbed Miranda's outstretched hand causing her to stare at him with a shocked expression on her face as he pulled her close to him so he could at least shield her from the impact. As they embraced, their biotics activated and surrounded both of them in a dance of blue and white. Neither knew what was going on until their eyes locked on to each other and then everything went dark.

Miranda opened her eyes at the sound of a noise. She saw she was in a bed with the sheets pulled up to her bare chest covering herself. She could feel the softness of the sheets rub against her naked skin in a comforting sensation. She looked out the window and to see birds flying with the sun coming up casting a magnificent light over the coliseum. Again the sound was made. She turned to face where the noise was coming from. There she saw a man who was well built but not excessively bulky, with a shaven head getting dressed in a Captain's Legionnaire armor. When he turned to face her, he had a stubbed beard growing with a smile forming on his face. When she looked at his blue eyes she saw only love in them. She stood up off their bed, feeling the coolness of the floor on her feet, holding the bed sheet around her breast covering herself. She walked over to the man who was making his way over to her. Then as he bent down to kiss her she closed her eyes to kiss him only to find a different scene when she opened them.

John was riding through the gates of what looked like a castle following a man in armor with a golden crown placed on his helmet. The shield the man carried, which John suspected he might have been a king, was emblazoned with a red lion in the center. As John looked around his eyes caught sight of a woman who was beyond compare to any other woman. One who had pale skin, raven black hair, and crystal blue eyes that John felt he knew. She looked at him with a smile and tears forming in her eyes. It was obvious she didn't want him to depart to France. To fight a war for nothing more than glory. So before he left out the gate, she gave him one final look of love with a smile that warmed his heart, and sent him off with a kiss she blew towards him.

Once more darkness came, and when he opened his eyes things again were different. Miranda was walking down the streets of Florence. The sky was blue with giant clouds of white scattered everywhere casting nice cool shade with a soft brisk breeze. The city was abuzz with the announcement of the Mona Lisa being displayed so soon after its release. Miranda couldn't help but feel happy as she made her way to meet the man who had only recently started to court her. Like most women when being properly courted, she felt the butterflies in the pit of her stomach as she approached the one she had a very deep affection for in only a few short months. Then she saw him waiting for her at the middle of one of the many bridges in Florence. He was well dressed and held a bouquet of white lilies knowing they were her favorite. As he saw her, his face beamed at how beautiful she was as blue eyes met blue eyes.

Again everything went black, and again a new scene was before them. The sounds of machinery were everywhere as England was in the middle of what would be called the first steps in the Industrial Revolution. Trains, steam power, child labor, the poor, and the gangs were everywhere in the streets of London. John was walking back home from working one of the many factories around. It didn't pay that well but it did provide a roof over his head with enough food on the table for his family. As he walked closer to his home he could see his kids running around kicking a ball; everyday he worked hard, hoping that they would not have to face the struggles that he and their mother had faced before they eloped. Their mother was hanging the laundry outside to dry. He could smell that dinner was being cooked on the stove. His wife was the first to notice him and gave him a warm smile saying "Welcome home love". His children then turned in his direction and rushed him yelling "DAD/DADDY!" he loved how is kids rushed to him just to greet him. "There is no place I'd rather be love" replying to his wife with raven hair. She often had many suitors trying to woo her and get her to leave him. Try as they might though she only had eyes for him for which he was eternally grateful.

Miranda was walking through the halls of a military hospital. The war had been going on for years. She wished it would end already if only to see him again. When last they spoke he was about to depart towards an island called Iwo Jima. Apparently it was a key island that needed to be taken, something about seizing control of Japanese airfields. That was a few weeks ago and wounded had been arriving steadily. The thing was there was so few of them. She worried for her husband and hoped that he wouldn't be one of the many men who came here, most of them didn't leave. "We have one coming" "Surgery! Get him to surgery!" She turned to see the new arrival and instantly felt her heart drop. It was her husband with what looked like multiple gun shots and stab wounds. "JOHN!" She tried to rush over to him but was held back by two of her fellow coworkers and who she considered friends, "You know him Miri?" She kept her eyes on the bleeding form of her husband, "That's my husband! Now LET ME GO!" One of her friends said "he'll be okay Miri, just have faith that he will." She waited for hours and hours until he was finally stabilized and put into his own room. She sat next to him quietly crying while staring at what they had done to him. From what she heard when they found him, he was surrounded by the dead from both sides. The number of enemy soldiers confirmed killed by his hand was staggering. By their accounts, he was a hero who held the line until the armor division came as reinforcements. She didn't care that they called him a hero; all she wanted was for him to wake up. She placed her hands on one of his own, squeezing firmly trying not to burst out into more tears but was unsuccessful. Shutting her eyes lids tightly, she tried to force the tears to stop. She opened her eyes back quickly as his hand squeezed hers, and looked to see her husband's blue eyes staring at her with a small smile, "I told you I would come back."

John sat on a bench staring off in the distance not really focusing on anything. The light reflected off of the New World Trade tower as the sun was slowly moving across the blue sky. Despite this the air was still quite cold with the bite of winter still not letting the spring take full control over New York City. John refocused his attention on a little girl who had her mother's hair and eyes but his tanned skin. She was running, laughing, and over all radiating youth that came with being only ten. His wife was walking up to him from his right but he was too focused on his daughter to have noticed. She understood; he amazed her as well in the fact that they somehow managed to have a daughter. Every doctor in the north eastern states, every test imagined at the time had told them that it was impossible for them to conceive. Yet here they were with a healthy ten-year-old running around the park. Miranda sat next to her husband so she could snuggle next to him and share his warmth which he happily brought her in closer to do. "Do you believe in fate John?" the question was so out of the blue that he was silent for a moment. Then with confidence in his voice he had his answer "I'm not sure I'd call it fate. But I know that something led me to find you when the first tower was about to fall. I don't know what it was but I knew I had to get to you. And I am grateful I did. Maybe it is fate I found you. What I do know is I love you. With all my being." As he stared into her eyes and she stared into his, something clicked inside them as though they were always meant to be together. They leaned until their lips touched each other and then darkness closed in again.

John's eyes opened wide as he was holding Miranda who had the same shocked and confused look as he imagined himself having on his face. Then the current situation returned to him as he realized they were still flying in the air in a park with dozens of children and kids watching. He could see his parents running to where they thought he would land along with Miranda's mother next to them. John saw in Miranda that the same thought passed through her mind as well as his: their parents wouldn't make it in time meaning they had to come up with a way to soften the landing. Not really thinking of his own well-being, he positioned himself so that his back would receive most of the impact. He thought if he was lucky he would come out with a couple broken ribs. If not then he'd never walk again. Miranda realized what he was doing and couldn't help but admire him for it. However she decided that she wasn't going to let him have all the risk. She looked deep within herself looking for that energy she felt before until finally she started glowing blue. This had a reaction on John as he himself started glowing white, just like before, and just like before he thought that maybe instead of propelling forward he could use the energy to slow them down. Both extended themselves in trying to slow each other down, just as the ground came within a foot of impact. At that moment both had their eyes closed slowly opening them to see that they had managed to stop mid-air with the grass swaying below John from the breeze. They did it. As a sense of relief came over them, their aura dissipated and both fell to the ground, a small shriek coming from Miranda, with a thud and groan from John.

As Lillian and the Shepard parents rushed over, she could see her daughter roll off of the boy and then they all heard the two laughing. She couldn't believe her daughter would do something so reckless but also couldn't believe their control over biotics much less both of them being biotics. Lillian tried to figure out what had happened while the kids were flying in the air. If she believed what she saw, their biotics swirled around them and intertwined as if they were connected. As they approached, the other children gathered around them and couldn't help but yell there amazement saying that was the greatest thing they've seen. As Jane made her way passed the other kids, she couldn't help but ask John a question, "Hey Bro, guess what?" John had a confused look "What?" Jane gave Miranda an obvious wink which Miranda caught onto what she was trying to do then looked at John and said with a smile on her face "You're it." All of the kids laughed at the two, and even though John was the butt of the joke, he couldn't help but laugh as well. The parents started calling for their kids saying it was time to go. Eventually only a few of the other kids were still in the park and they went to go have lunch with their families.

Joseph pointed out that it was about time they all started heading out as well causing complaints from the kids even Miranda whose mother had said that they to better get going. Jane walked over to Miranda and gave her a huge hug with a smile saying "It was nice meeting you. I hope we see each other again someday." Miranda smiled and replied "Me to. Where again are you all headed off to?" John looked at her and said "We're headed out to the new colony Mindoir. So it's going to take us a couple of days to get there…" As Miranda listened to John, a sense of loss came over her, "...I hope…we see each other again..." Miranda said looking down with a sad expression. Lillian looked at the exchange between the two and couldn't help but wonder how they managed to become so close in such a short encounter. It almost broke her heart seeing her daughter become like this. John noticed and decided to do the only thing he could do. He stepped forward, and gave her a hug. Miranda was surprised by the action but returned it none the less, letting a small tear fall down her face. "We will see each other again Miranda. I promise." John's confidence in his statement brought a smile to her face as she said, "I'll hold you to that John." In that moment their biotics turned on to surround and intertwine around them once more causing everyone else around them to jump and marvel at the display wondering what was going on.

Off in the distance standing underneath the shade, a man in a well-tailored suite was watching ever since the game of tag started. He marveled at his daughter's display of biotics thinking ' _She's finally starting to shine!_ ', and then started wondering who the other two children where. He deemed them to be of no concern thinking that their display of biotics was nothing more than a fluke. An accident. He had no time for accidents. Only perfection. That was the reason he augmented his daughter's genes before doing the surrogacy with Lillian, his wife. He cared nothing for his family. Only what they could provide for his mark on history. His legacy that he would leave behind when he passed. Henry Lawson returned his attention at the display of his daughter hugging the boy and saw the light show of their biotics. He deemed that he had test and experiments to try. He had to find out how to transfer that form of biotics in Miranda to his next subject, Subject 15. He was already thinking of a way to coax Miranda into helping him. Lillian would be a problem but not an unmanageable one. She always put her daughter before anything else. Miranda however was not hers but his and his alone to do with what he wanted. And if perfection was too much to ask of her, then he would start over. Just as he did before and will continue to do. Finally having stayed long enough, he decided to return to his lab underneath his estate to begin preparing for his work on his legacy.


	2. Travel through Stars and New Lives

Mass Effect: Hearts of Many through Time

Chapter 2: Travel through the Stars & New Lives

2160 SSV Einstein – In route to Mindoir

"RUN OR HE'LL CATCH US!" "I AM RUNNING! SPEED UP!" He couldn't believe it. Lieutenant Zabaleta was running after two children the crew have appropriately named 'Pain and Chaos' for one specific reason other than being fraternal twins: they always were together causing all kinds of hell. Today was no exception. Ever since Commander Hannah Shepard came aboard to fill in the executive officer positon, or XO for short, she was everything an officer should be and aspire to. Her children, however, were an entirely different and often horrific story, although no one seemed to mind as they brought a certain life to the ship. Both of the children were brilliant and would often be seen learning the different job sets by the crew, particularly with the marines stationed aboard the SSV Einstein. Though the children also kept everyone on their toes. As the crew found out, keeping 6 year olds with the mental capacity of a 15 year old individually aboard a military vessel for a couple of weeks, with no other children on board, left giant targets for Pain and Chaos to exploit. When asked why by some of the crew, John, also known by Pain replied with "Well a couple of reasons actually. For starters a crew should be alert for anything as a just in case measure if attacked by slavers or pirates or even the Batarian Hegemony seeing how they and the Alliance do not get along." Jane, or Chaos, followed up with, "Second, as 6 year olds we feel the need to express our lack of challenging task set by the adults in this fine vessel by physically challenging ourselves with tasked deemed too dangerous for normal children." John decided to finish up by simply saying "any questions?" One of the crew men who asked had a shocked and dumbfounded look on his face and asked "Wait…you mean you do these pranks because...YOU'RE BORED!" Pain and Chaos looked at each other, responded in unison with, "Yes", with Jane following up with "though we prefer the term 'challenges'."

So now here 1LT Zabaleta was chasing Pain and Chaos for their latest 'challenge'. One they had managed to pull off on his pride and something he worked hard on: his mustache. Zabaleta's normal facial hair consisted of a beard and full mustache which he kept well-trimmed and neat. "QUICKLY BEFORE HE CATCHES US!" he could hear John yelling, knowing that probably meant they had a plan to lose him. As he turned the corner they took him by surprise when he saw a biotically charged John launch his sister over Zabaleta, while John made a dashing slide underneath Zabaleta's open legs. As his mind tried to figure out which one to grab, his body collapsed on him with his back hitting the cold metal floor. "RUN KIDS! HE'S JUST ABOUT SPENT!" Zabaleta had his eyes closed from the initial shock of falling, so he never realized that Pain and Chaos had led him to the mess hall where almost the entire crew had started assembling to eat breakfast. As he stood up, the room got quiet and all eyes were on him. When they saw one of their platoon leaders without his normal look and instead had a, what would be called the mustache belonging to one of the least liked yet more famously known leaders in history on his upper lip, everyone was speechless. That is until someone who had mean giggling the entire time finally broke out laughing causing the other crewmen to finally start laughing and cheering for their brave lieutenant who lost a battle against Pain and Chaos. A few were taking pictures with their omnitools while others started shouting, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOURSELF?! I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY WENT AFTER THAT DAMN MUSTACHE! IT'S AN IMPROVEMENT!"

"ATTENTION!" With those words the laughter stopped immediately and all stood rigid while still trying to not laugh at the situation. Captain Hemenez had walked in flanked by Commander Shepard who caught on that something big had just happened judging by the looks of amusement on the crew's faces. Trying to figure out what it was she spotted 1LT Zabaleta from her peripheral vision looking lighter than usual. 'Maybe he finally shaved that damn thing off' she thought when she looked at him. All she could do was gasp and turn away while biting her lip to keep from losing her composure. This did not go unnoticed from the Captain who looked at his XO with a curious expression after examining the rest of the room. That's when he noticed one of his Lieutenants with a change to his normal facial hair style, "What. The hell. Is that Lieutenant?" Zabaleta was a different color of red already from embarrassment so luckily the Captain couldn't tell that he got even redder. He hoped. "IT'S A HITLER MUSTACHE SIR!" One of the crew men at the end of the mess hall shouted in response to his question. "I GOT THAT! What I want to know Zabaleta is why the fuck is it on your face?" The Captain was not one for pranks. "It was Pain and Chaos Sir." Zabaleta replied, however this caused an annoyed face to fall on the Captain, "Lieutenant, you are one of our finest platoon leaders on board. Make no mistake about that, but how in the hell did two children, 6 year old children get the best of you?" Hannah had her arms crossed and with her head in one of her hands at the mention of her children's nicknames. She never understood why they were called that. "Sir, they are surprisingly sneaky, and if I may add also cunning for 6 year olds. Also it hasn't just been me who have fallen victim to their *cough* shenanigans Sir."

"KIDS! GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE! I KNOW YOU'RE WATCHING!" Hannah called out having already guessed that her children weren't far. "Hey mom", John and Jane said in unison while John eating a banana and Jane eating a bowl of oatmeal. "Kids why did you do this to the Lieutenant?" "He was asleep, so we shaved his face. Jane came up with the Hitler style though." "No I didn't. One of the crewmen did. I overheard someone saying what would it look like if Lieutenant Zabaleta did have one." At this one of the crew shouts "TOTALLY WORTH IT!" causing others to laugh at this. Though when receiving a stare from the Captain, the room once again fell silent. "Children, I understand you are feeling confined and need to let off some steam, however that does not excuse this kind of behavior", while pointing at 1LT Zabaleta. Hannah finally finished by asking her children "anything further to add you two?" Silence. More silence. "I REGRET NOTHING! / IT'S AN IMPROVEMENT!" echoed through the mess hall and as both shouted then ran from their mother. Everyone started laughing and cheering for Pain and Chaos causing Hannah to roll her eyes with a smile while the Captain just held a smile and said "Carry on everyone. Lieutenant, please get rid of that ridiculous thing before the morning brief." With a sigh Zabaleta just nodded and saluted saying "Yes sir" while thinking 'this is war kids. You messed with my mustache and beard.'

2160 Earth – Lawson Estate

Miranda was laying down with her head on her mother's lap. The piano was playing in the corner. Miranda shared her mother's love for the piano as well as the classical works by centuries old composers. What she loved most was times like this where it was just her and her mother. She thought her mother was the most beautiful woman in the world and countless people would attest to that. She hoped to grow up strong and kind and beautiful just like her. As she laid on her lap her mother's scent had seeped its way into her nose. A scent of vanilla, not over powering but enough to tell when in her presence. She loved her mother and wished to spend many more days like this with her.

It had been a few months since that day in the park with the twins. Miranda thought of that day fondly and truly wished to see them again. They were the first children her age that felt like she could understand them and they her. What's more is her thoughts of John, the brother. He had sparked something inside her. Something familiar yet unknown at the same time if that made any sense. She couldn't understand it but that day she felt relaxed and happy. The same she felt with her mother. Both safe and cared for. Miranda tried to think that it was just a strange encounter. Nothing to fret about. However the visions she had would flood her mind when she closed her eyes. After they got home that day, Miranda asked her mother if she could do research on the extranet. When her mother approved, she began looking at entries on past cultures and early societies, using the different landmarks in her vision or dreams to figure out what they were. What she found confused her. Finally hitting a brick wall she thought to ask her mother when time permitted.

Lillian was in the day room working on what looked like a scarf for a child when Miranda approached her. "Mother, I was wondering if I could ask you something?" Lillian looked at her daughter with an almost surprised expression. Even though she was a child Miranda thought like an adult. Showing a broad understanding that most adults didn't possess. When Miranda found a problem she went about her own way to find the answer. So when she asked for help it caught her mother off guard. "Yes dear. Of course you can ask me anything. What's on your mind?" Miranda looked at her mother and asked, "Is there such a thing as past lives? I've been looking up different entries and other related topics on the extranet and keep coming up with maybes. The closest thing I've found to it is the Hindu religion. Is it possible to be reborn though mom?" That question took Lillian by surprise in a completely different way. She hadn't expected a heavy question to come from her 6 year old daughter. But Lillian always believed in being honest with her. "Honestly dear, I do not know. I've never met someone who believes it is. Nor have I heard of someone saying so. Why do you ask Miri? What brought this on?"

Miranda looked at her mother as if comp templating on whether to tell her what she experienced at the park with John. Finally she made up mind and said, "Lately I've been having dreams. They're of me with someone else. I think we were married or something similar. The issue I'm having is that almost every time I'm dreaming, it's me with someone else in a different place. Do you know what it means mom?" Lillian looked down and thought for a moment before asking for more detailed information, "Who was this other person Miranda? Was it a boy or a girl? Also these places, are they all in one place or different altogether? Does it look like the same time?" That last question threw Miranda off a bit. She had never thought about them being different time periods, although when she thought about it again it made sense since you couldn't have a busy Rome in the same time as a busy New York City. "The other person is a boy. Or man really since he and I are adults in every time. That's the other thing is that they are different times. You kind of helped me realize that just now. The places are spread throughout…well everywhere. Rome. Medieval England. Florence, Italy. London, England. An army hospital based in Hawaii. Central Park, New York City, New York. In all of them it's me and him. And I don't even know who 'he' is. What does it all mean?"

Lillian listened to her daughter while picking out every key detail she could. ' _Everything she is saying always has her daughter and a boy. Wait that isn't right. Her daughter and a_ man _, not a boy. Meaning she herself is an adult in these dreams. Can they really be called that? Dreams? Or_ experiences _?_ ' That last thought intrigued Lillian more than she thought it would. "Miri, these dreams you are having, when did they start?" She suspected she knew the answer but just to be sure she decided to ask. Miranda looked to be thinking when the first vision or dream had actually happened. Then she remembered, like a light bulb going off in her. "The park! It was when we went to the park and met that family. The one's leaving to go to a colony somewhere. Mindoir I think it was." She thought so. Lillian was always curious about what happened that day when she saw her daughter flying through the air with her biotics intertwining with the boy's. John. That was his name. John Shepard to be exact. ' _So THAT'S what it was! That was the reason why the two of them seemed sad when they departed. Because it wasn't the FIRST time they were together or separated! But how can that be? Lives aren't eternal and the closest thing there is to it are the Asari, and even then their lives aren't infinite. So what is it then?_ '

Before anymore could be said a voice that never really sat well with her came in from the doorway, "Miranda, come here for a moment." Henry Lawson stood at the door staring at his daughter, ignoring the questioning glare he was receiving from his wife. Once upon a time, Lillian had met a man so devoted to humanity and it's ascendance that his vision had captivated her as she had 'captivated him by her beauty' as he had told her. Sometimes she wondered if she ever imagined that altogether. At first things were wonderful and Henry was a smart, devoted man to his work, and at rare times caring towards her. However as time passed he grew less and less like the Henry who had somehow wooed her and more into a man possessed by his work. Into a man who started seeing all other things as objects to fuel his ambition. Even other people. Even her. Often he would talk about 'leaving his mark in history, so that mankind would not forget their family'. She sometimes questioned this, thinking to what ends he would go to ensure his legacy be attained. Today however, would be the day she would find out.

' _What are you planning Henry_?' Lillian thought as she knew that tone of voice he was using. One he reserved when trying to convince someone to do his bidding. ' _He wouldn't use her?...Would he?_ ' "Miranda darling, Daddy has a very important favor to ask you." She felt it. The same feeling she used to get when something was wrong. The kind that made your skin crawl, the hair on the back of your neck stand up, and the chill that ran down your spine. Lillian was no stranger to dangerous people and situations. And her instincts were telling her that, at this moment, she and her daughter were in very real danger. From the man she now once called her husband. "What do you need daddy?" ' _Please no_ ' Lillian thought as she heard her daughter ask and saw the same look she'd seen before. The one most men would use to try and manipulate someone. However that was now her daughter being manipulated. "Honey, Daddy needs you to help him with his work. It is very important. So much so that many people are depending on me. But I need your help to do it." Miranda looked at him and asked "What do you need help with daddy? I'll do anything if I can help." Henry smiled at his daughter thinking 'Good girl. You will help secure my legacy. No. My dynasty.' Lillian watched in horror as her husband was manipulating her daughter, HIS daughter into being used to help him pursue his goals. And he got her to SMILE at the idea! When he smiled at Miranda, Lillian looked down. She knew in her heart that her daughter was not safe in this house. Not anymore. She needed to leave. To take her daughter far away from here. "Thank you dearest. With your help we will do great things. No one will get hurt. So long as you help." Her eyes went wide at that Henry's last statement. She looked up slowly, hoping she had misheard that. But no. Lilian had heard correct. Henry was staring at her when he last spoke. "Thank you Miranda. I know you will not let me down", and with that Henry left Miranda with her mother. ' _We're trapped…in our own home! By my husband!...damn it!_ ' Lillian had almost broke down crying then and there. Only a single tear fell from her eye. But that tear did not go unnoticed. "Mommy, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Lillian looked at her daughter who was staring at her. She kneeled on the floor and brought her daughter closer, embracing her in a tight hug. Almost inaudible but enough for Miranda to hear, Lillian whispered "I'm sorry Miranda."

2160 Mindoir – 2 ½ Weeks after Arrival

"John come on! You have to see what I found!" John was slowly getting up from being woken up by Jane. 'Wow he is not a morning person' Jane observed her brother getting out of bed or at least making an attempt at the concept. However he was doing a poor job of this. 'Hmm, must not have slept well. Again. These dreams keep getting to him. Like they're getting worse and more frequent' "Come ON John! Get up! I need to show you something." "Jane…why? Why do I have to get up?" At this John was trying his best to emanate an aura of a demon lord from being woken up. Jane was unaffected by this however. She was his sister after all. She lived to bug the crap out of him and he knew it. "It's a surprise now get up and get dressed. Oh and bring a rain coat. The weather report said it's supposed to rain in a few minutes, and I can already smell the rain coming. Now move it!" As she said that last part, she decided to throw a pillow at John for added measure. Just to be sure he was getting up. Jane raced downstairs as fast as she could into the kitchen to prepare snacks for the both of them, however her mind was on her brother's wellbeing, 'I wonder what he dreams about. Hmm dreams. Right. More like nightmares.' John had started having these nightmares a few weeks ago. Right around the time they first moved into their new home. Her brother was making his way into the kitchen when she spotted him in pair of black pants and a red shirt. 'Black and red. Surprise, surprise' Jane didn't understand his favorite color choices. She was more of a blue and white kind of person. Pure and vast she would say. The vast part had to be explained. Blue reminded her of the sky, so vast and magnificent. But when she asked about his color choice she got a response that was very 'John', "I like black because it's strong and noble 'HUH!' and red because it's the color of passion, the kind that inspires men to do the impossible 'IS HE FOR REAL?!'"

Jane thought her brother was very weird. But she wouldn't have him any other way. She loved her brother very much, so when he started having these nightmares it worried her. This was a first for him. He never did have nightmares before now. "What are you making Sis?" her brother breaking her thought process with an obvious question. All Jane did was look at him and pointed to the bread, jelly, and peanut butter, then followed with another look that said 'Seriously?' "Hahaha yeah dumb question. Sorry. Need any help?" She shook her head while packing up the rest of the food and putting it back in their respective places in the kitchen. "Alright let's go Bro!" They bolted out the door with lunch bags in hand. After several minutes of running, the house was getting further and further away, she heard John ask "So where are we going?" "It's just up ahead" This did nothing but raise an eyebrow from her brother who already had a look that was annoyance. "What's up ahead?" Jane stopped running, indicating they had arrived. What lay before them was a small water fall that fell out into a decent size pond. Certainly big enough for most adults to swim in comfortably. To their left was a wall of trees to keep prying eyes away while to their right was a dense brush with what looked like fruit growing out of it. Jane never did learn about the local fruit, only that it was edible by humans. "Come on there's one more thing." Jane led her brother towards the water fall earning another questioning look from him. What he couldn't see initially was a cave behind the water, a rather large cave, especially considering the size of the fall itself.

"Jane what is all this?" John asked as the made their way into the cave entrance. Further down there was light coming from one of the paths turning left. John couldn't quite figure out what his sister was planning. He knew his sister always had an inventive side to her much like himself, so when he saw what lay on the left path it surprised him but not as much as he thought it would. The path opened up further into an open cave system with more tunnels leading in different directions. Jane somehow already had a table with some chairs, a makeshift work bench with a couple of loose parts laid out on it, a futon 'Where the hell did she get that thing from?', as well as…a refrigerator?! He had to ask on that one. Obviously there was a story there. But not now. Right now, John just soaked in everything surrounding him. The smells, the lighting, the breeze indicating airways present in the rock façade. What stuck out most was the sound. Over the sound of the rushing water, John could hear the obvious sound of a generator. However he couldn't locate one.

"Sis how did you manage to do all this? And where did all this stuff come from? And please don't tell me you stole it, otherwise I'm telling mom." Jane's face said she was insulted at the accusation but he knew her and knew she liked to mess with people. He still was expecting some form of retaliation from Lieutenant Zabaleta for the incident with his beard and mustache. "First and foremost, I am not a thief brother of mine. I am an acquisition enthusiast 'what's with the fake and horrible English accent'. Secondly, what you see before you is my ingenious mind turning mundane materials into the stepping stones of our conquest!" 'First a horrible Queen Elizabeth, now an even worse Joseph Stalin. Please don't do Napoleon next' "And finally my dear brother, you shall address me as 'Commander' when in my presence in this fort of mine, Wee?!" John couldn't help but let out a heavy and obvious sigh as his sister finished up her monologue in a French fashion, or rather a monstrous French fashion. "Jane, you got to work on your acting skills. You still didn't answer how you managed to do all this." "UUUGGHHH fine. I managed to find a few broken items laying around and thought maybe I could fix them up and use them. Make them better than new. As for the cave, which I'm still working on naming, I stumbled on during one of my random outings. Neat right? I think I'll call it the Turtle. I like turtles." SMACK. He couldn't take it. He smacked his hand to his forehead by the silliness of his sister.

"Please don't call it the turtle. If not then at least add something to it. Like Turtle Back or Turtle Shell." "Hey I founded the Turtle so I will name it what I want." To add emphasis on the subject Jane couldn't help but stomp her feet. She was after all only 6 like him. "Hmm fine. So what do you plan on doing with it? Invite all your friends for a sleep over. I'm sure they'd love to spend the night. Maybe even play a game of pet the rat." She looked at him saying "Ha ha there are no rights here, I've checked." John simply pointed to the table which had a small baseball size rodent which looked like a rat, but then it scurried away at the sound of a high pitch squeal when Jane looked over to where her brother was pointing. He had to laugh at his sister's one fear. Out of all the things she could be afraid of, she saw as challenges. But when it came to rodents like that she flipped shit. Like ape shit. He never understood that though he wouldn't question it. He himself didn't like spiders. Generally the bigger ones, not the smaller ones. "It's not funny John! Those things can carry disease. And it's an ALIEN rat so who knows what it carries!" John simply raised his hands up saying he'll stop poking fun at her expense.

After a minute Jane's face got serious. He knew what was coming and had already prepared himself for it. His sister always could tell when something was wrong with him. They were twins after all. "So you had another one last night?" John simply looked down and started opening his lunch bag. "Yeah…they're getting more frequent. And worse." His sister was already eating her sandwich but continued to ask after each mouth full she swallowed "What was it this time? Was the same man there?" John looked at her before saying "Yeah, he was there. Same fancy suit. Same cold eyes. Same fake smile after it was done. And screaming. A girl's scream. One of betrayal. Last night though was something new. I finally got to look at the girl." At this news Jane perked her head up. All the other dreams before there was only the face of the man with cold eyes. Sometimes the crying of an older woman but never her face. So this was definitely new, "Come on! What did the new face look like?!" Jane was practically on the other side of the table from leaning over it waiting for a response. "It looked like that girl. The very pretty one. You remember? Back at the park? It was her. She looked like she was going through hell thought. She was sweating, her face was pale, well more so than when we met her. It looked like she hadn't slept in a while since she had dark rings under her eyes. What looked the most out of place were the needle marks though. There were quite a few, and none of them looked that old. I think she's in trouble Jane. But I don't know why I am dreaming about her."

Jane was looking at her brother with confusion. It's true that he and the other girl at the park had something pass through them when that white and blue light surrounded them, but she couldn't imagine what it was. When she asked her parents what they thought, they were just as confused as she was. Especially when John said he dreamed of different places on Earth, and it was always with a woman that was beyond beautiful. "I don't know John. But I do know that this is not healthy. It's starting to affect your sleep habits. You're barely eating. It's like the energy is being sucked out of you. You got to pull yourself together John. Even if you wanted to help, what can you do? That girl was on Earth. You're literally in a different part of the galaxy now." John looked down and a sad expression came over him. His sister was right. He knew this. But the part of him that wanted to do the right thing was trying to tell him to just go and try. However, again, what could he do? He was a child who, while rather intelligent despite his age along with his biotics, he couldn't just go and hope to help her…her?...'wait what was her name? Something with an M. Mary, no. Michelle, nope. Mira, doesn't sound like it. Miranda…Miranda. That was her name'. 'One day maybe' he thought. He had hoped that day would not be the last time he saw Miranda. But now he was dreaming about her. He didn't know why. Finally he looked at his sister and said, "You're right Jane. Of course you're right. I'll try to get better. But if the dreams continue, that might be difficult. Think you can keep me in shape?" He had a small smile on his face which seemed to relax his sister who walked over to the other side of the table, gave him a hug, and then punched him in the arm earning an "OWW" from him. "Of course I'll help dumb-dumb." They both laugh while John rubbed the spot Jane had just punched with quite a bit of force to 'How the hell can she hit like that?' They both started making their way to the cave entrance and John had to reiterate on one thing before leaving, "I'm still not calling this place the Turtle though." SMACK. "OWW. DAMN SIS!"

 **A/N: Alright so I decided to post the next chapter just because if I keep from writing this story I'm going to go nuts and end up with future plot points stuck in my head (already happening by the way). Anyway hoped you enjoyed. Of course please review if I can do better or you might want to see something added in the future.**


	3. Flight

Chapter 3: Flight

 **A/N: Alright. Sorry for the delay in chapter. My job took me out of writing for a week and I wanted to make sure I did this chapter right so I asked my wife to help me proof read the story.**

 **I hope that you all like this chapter. It is a bit longer than usual. Broke my record with an almost 10,000 word chapter. That's not bad right? Oh well.**

 **Be warned that this chapter is also the first action scene that I have written and it does have a bit of detail to the scenes. So fair warning this is mature content though not as mature as some later contents will be (Seriously. Like Game of Thrones violent). I hate that I have to put this but hey I just try to follow the rules.**

 **Enjoy and let me know what you think (That means review. Please)**

 **2163 Earth – Lawson Estate – 3 Years after First Experiment**

It was late in the afternoon and it was almost time for dinner. Miranda had just returned from her "help" with her father. She had cried silently during the entire session doing her best not to make a noise or whimper. Her father would not tolerate it. If he heard so much as a peep, he would then up the session time from 4 hours to 5. She was in hell. She had to be. Although it wasn't just her in this hellish place, her mother was forced to watch her beloved daughter suffer at the hands of Henry Lawson's ambition. She no longer called him her father just as Lillian no longer called him her husband. Fathers don't poke and prod their children in twisted experiments for hours on end. He had spent the past 3 years, 7 days a week, with only 2 days reprieve, out of the month to not be experiment on. He had spent the years trying to bolster her body in many different ways. She never understood what the tests were trying to accomplish nor did she care anymore. If he was trying to figure out how to turn himself into a monster, then he had succeeded with the first syringe he used. ' _I was such a dumb girl to believe he needed my help. He never even asked mother to help him! Why would I be different?!_ ' Miranda went with that thought in her head to her mother's side, resting her head on her shoulder feeling and her mother's embrace.

Her mother was the only reason she hadn't gone completely insane. ' _Yet_ ', she thought. Miranda always found comfort in her mother's arms. The softness of her skin, the vanilla scent she emitted; Miranda knew this was killing her. How could it not. Her mother was being forced to sit and wait. To always wonder and see what the end results of a day's experiments had done to her daughter. It tore her up whenever she see Miranda with new bruises, new needle marks, and new cuts from where her nails as her fists clenched too tightly. She understood now. Understood why her mother apologized to her, all those years ago. The day she stupidly agreed to help **HIM** with his " **work** ". It couldn't go on. These past 3 years had killed away what innocence she still had left inside her. Miranda knew that little by little it was getting worse and she was losing more of herself with each passing day. ' _We have to escape. I don't care how but mother and I need to get out of this hell hole_.'

Miraculously, that's when she heard her mother whisper into her ear, "Miranda, we're leaving. Go to your room, pack your clothes, and meet me back here. Now go love." Lillian let go of her daughter who had a baffled look on her face, as if she didn't understand what her mother was telling her to do. "Now Miranda!" With that she left the room with a purpose. Lillian was tired and the last three years had worn her down. She didn't look it physically, but emotionally she was drained. After three years of watching her daughter suffer at the hands of that psychopath and it was killing her. She did nothing but sit, watch, and comfort her daughter when each day was done. She knew was just as much to blame as Henry was. However unlike Henry, she felt the guilt weigh her down and start affecting her both mentally and physically. Some nights she would wake up to run to her private bathroom from being nauseated or would sit in her bed unable to sleep because of what was happening to her daughter. Finally she had enough! She was ready with her plan that had taken the past two years to organize and bribe certain people. The first being the guard who had just shown up to start his shift. "Everything is ready ma'am. The shuttle will be at the rendezvous point in 20 minutes. With current traffic time we'll be there in 10." Lillian looked at the guard and only nodded at his report.

"Remember, once we leave the house, you take off as well. Get as far away from Citadel space as you can. I heard of a new group of PMCs looking for potential recruits. The Blue Suns are what they call themselves. Speak to a Mr. Massani, let him know you come recommended from Lillian. He'll set you up." The guard nodded and then left to get their vehicle ready for the trip. ' _Please be there Jack_ ' she thought as Miranda had returned with her suitcase in hand. Lillian got her suitcase that she already prepped before Miranda even came home. She took her daughter to the garage where the guard was waiting with the trunk open. ' _So far so good, thank god he had a meeting to go to_ '. Lillian had been fortunate enough to include in her plan that an important shareholder of the company needed to visit to discuss matters for which she did not concern herself with. They could order Asari escorts and do red sand for all she cared, so long as they stayed there and gave her the extra time they needed for the plan to work. The longer Henry didn't know before they were off world, the more time she had to get to her final destination. ' _Somewhere far away from Earth hopefully_ ' she thought. She had yet to tell Miranda where they were going. She would once they reached their first destination, but not now as a precaution. Her bribed guard was not the only set of eyes on them, and she knew it.

As they made their way towards a busy shuttle port that could easily be as big as a 20th century L.A.X, Lillian looked out of the side view mirror, noticing a black sky car 2 cars behind them. She didn't have to see the driver to know that they were the second set of eyes assigned to guard herself and Miranda, or in this certain case, recapture one or both of them. ' _I was hoping to be farther away by now_ ' "We got company. Don't slow down or speed up. We don't want to tip them off before we get to the terminal." Lillian said. The guard nodded and did exactly as he was told. He himself knew that if they did get caught, he would not even make it two steps before they put a bullet in his head. So onward they went until the shuttle port was just around the corner. Their luck held out as the black sky car was stuck behind several more sky cars and a red light. ' _That should slow them down for a minute longer to prepare_ '. Lillian had already foresaw a confrontation with her husband's guards as a very likely possibility, therefore she had already prepared herself for it. When the sky car landed, she hopped out and went to the trunk to grab her gear she had pulled from her personal weapons locker. Lillian wasn't always the house wife she had spent the last 15 years being. Once before, she was one of the Alliance's best Counter Intelligence Black Op Specialist. Though she feared her skills weren't as sharp as they used to be, however, she knew she would have to do her best to make sure Miranda got to safety.

As she secured both of her personalized Mark X Karpov pistols to her hip and a rather sharp kukri knife into her sleeve as well as double checking her Omni tool, she said to the guard, "Get Miranda to the terminal. Make sure she is safe. I'll handle the followers. Once I do, I'll join you." Miranda looked at her with worry written all over her face. She knew her daughter had pieced together everything on the way here. "Mother, can you explain to me now where we are going?" She asked. Lillian knelt down and kissed her on the forehead before saying, "Not yet darling. Once I've dealt with your father's guards, I'll join you. Now go." With that, Lillian strode off to go and confront their uninvited guests. ' _Rule 1: Confirm enemy numbers_ ', her years of experience was starting to kick back in as she hid herself in the darkest corner she could find but with a good view of the front of the shuttle port area. ' _There they are…could they be any more obvious'_. The guards came into the port with their weapons concealed beneath their trench coats. They looked like gangsters from the old holo vids of the mafia. _'One, two, three, four, five, six…six total…piece of cake'_ , she thought as Lillian started moving into the first position.

Lillian had already made a layout of the area during her planning when she first came here. The shopping district was the busiest area in the port offering both concealment and distractions, plus many places to hide. The downside was due to the abundance of people, if a confrontation involving guns started here, many innocent bystanders would be stuck in the crossfire. The district was lined by several department stores offering anything from souvenirs, clothes, electronics, even a local pub. Next there was the food court. The area itself was expansive however offered her very little cover, and if things turned south she would hate to be in the open with only tables, that were most likely bolted down to the floor, for cover. Finally came the area before hitting the security checkpoint. It looked like a make shift indoor garden with lots of bushes and trees scattered all over an area that was larger than the food court. It had to be that large in order to accommodate the dozens of people who were currently all over the area. As Lillian made her way to the clothing store, one of the guards had spotted her. He radioed to his cohorts and started making his way towards her in a rushed but discrete fashion. ' _That's right. Just keep following_ ', as she made her way into the store with many clothing racks scattered throughout the interior. "Hi, welcome! Is there anything I could assist you with Ma'am?" the perky sales rep asked her hoping to get her to make a purchase. "Yes, do you have anything sliming but not totally revealing?" Lillian quickly put on a friendly face trying not to show any give a ways to the guard who was currently tailing her. "Yes ma'am, right this way." The rep gestured for Lillian to follow her to a line of clothes that looked fashionable but nothing over the top. Despite her age, Lillian had an amazing figure that many women would kill for. So many of the outfits would fit, though none of it mattered at the moment. "How about this one ma'am?" she held a maroon V-cut shaped long sleeve shirt that would run a little past her hips, along with a pair of pants that would hug her just right. "That would do nicely. May I try them on?" Lillian asked bringing a rather large smile from the sales rep. "Yes, of course! Right this way" the rep said in an enthusiastic voice at the possible sell. As they made their way to the back of the store towards the changing rooms, she noticed the guard also making his way towards her, looking to seize the opportunity to capture her while she was alone. "If you need anything else just let me know" the rep said and bounded right off to the counter, leaving her alone to enter the changing room. As she stepped into the enclosed space, setting the outfit aside, she looked up and tested the low ceiling tile to make sure it would move as she hoped, and to her luck it did. ' _Perfect_ ' she thought as she climbed her way into the space she had just made, leaving a small crack in the tile seem to be able to see out of. No sooner than two minutes the door opened to the guard standing there with what looked like a stun gun. "What?" He stepped in the room trying to figure out where she had disappeared to, "Where di-UGH!" was all he could say as Lillian lowered her upper body down enough to grab his head and twist with a violent turn until the noticeable POP from his neck was heard. Quickly she jumped down and grabbed the lifeless guard, setting him down before he could make any real noise. Lillian grabbed the outfit and proceeded to the checkout counter, "It's perfect. I'll take it" she said producing her credit chit. "Great, have a wonderful day!" the rep said waving goodbye as she left the store.

' _One down_ ' she thought as Lillian started scanning the area for the rest of the guards. She spotted two more hanging out next to a bench area with no one else around. ' _It's like they're not even trying_ ' she thought as she made her way around their vision to where she was now behind them with the only thing between her was a bench. As she quietly approached, a thought came to her that she couldn't pass up. She reached in her shopping bag producing a set of brass knuckles that she had snagged off of the previous guard. They were just the right size for her to and she was about to put them to good use. "Excuse me, could you hold this for a moment?" she said while holding the bag up to her face so that the guard she was talking to couldn't see. The other one still had his eyes elsewhere on a look out for her. "Sure ma'am, happy to help" as the guard grabbed the bag and brought it down to see her, she raised her fist and with a precise, quick blow she punched his Adam's apple into his wind pipe, forcing him to suffocate as he hung on to the bench in a futile attempt to stay up. Before the other guard could turn around at the noise, Lillian raised her left hand to cover his mouth while bringing out her kukri knife to stab the guard from behind between his fourth and fifth rib. As metal met flesh, the guard let out a muffled cry of pain, which was quickly silenced when she put a final twist with the knife in his body. She placed the guard down on the bench next to the other one who had already expired from the lack of oxygen, placing them both so that they appeared to be just sitting down. "Thank you" ' _Three down_ ' ran through her mind as she made her way deeper into the terminal area.

She looked for the other three and then her watch, "Shit, seven minutes left." She needed to move quicker. She spotted the other three roaming around. One was in the food court area while the other two were in the garden. ' _Hmm, got to move fast on the loner. The other two shouldn't be a problem with all the oversized vegetation around_ ', she thought. As she made her way to the food court, she decided that a direct approach to him would be faster and less conspicuous. She would be noticed for sure but she knew she would be quick enough before he could do anything. As she walked towards the guard, who was starting to turn in her direction, she sped up to cross the distance faster. As the guard's sunglass covered eyes fell on her, she saw his eyebrows raise up as one hand covered his mouth while the other holding the kukri went into him in an upwards angle below his sternum, ending with it piercing his heart. Death was instant as he slumped into her, where she just deposited him into an open seat proceeding out of the area before the other patrons were sure to notice a man with a large red stain coming out of his chest.

' _That's four. Need to hurry though_ ', she thought with the remaining time running through her head. ' _4 ½ minutes_ ', she needed to move faster. She did a direct approach once more trying to at least take out one and catch the other by surprise. However as she got herself within arm's reach of the first guard, the other one tipped him off, prompting the first one to turn and lunge at her with a stun baton already charged with energy from the humming noise it produced. ' _Expected_ ' she thought as Lillian side-stepped the lunge, grabbing the man by the wrist with her right hand while bringing her left hand in an open palm strike to the man's elbow. The scream he made would have echoed louder, if Lillian didn't crush his jaw shut on his own tongue with a spinning upward kick while she avoided the second guard's downward swing with his own stun baton. As the first guard landed on the ground with a crunch from his neck, Lillian turned her attention to the second guard who was already make a second swing towards her abdomen. She jumped back to avoid the man's thrust, while activating her Omni-tool to produce an overload, shocking the man with much more voltage than the baton produced. As soon as the man stood rigid from the initial shock, Lillian used the opportunity to rush past the guard to his very exposed back. Trying to finish him off quickly, she kicked his right leg behind the knee causing the man to fall, however before he could complete his decent, Lillian wrapped her arm around the man's head placing her hand on his upper jaw while moving her other hand behind the man's head. With one strong twist, it was over as Lillian broke the guard's neck. ' _That's all of them_ ' she thought as she panted from the struggle, ' _WOW I'm out of shape! I should really consider getting some side jobs going again. Maybe Steven or Jack might have a few jobs for me_ '.

Lillian made her way to the rendezvous point with two minutes to spare. A man smoking a cigarette started walking next to her heading in the same direction as she was. "I see you haven't lost a step in your time out of the business." Lillian glanced over to the man noting who he was, "Thank you for this again Jack. I don't know if I can ever repay you." The man known as Jack simply took another drag of his cigarette and blew it out before saying, "Nonsense. A favor from 'the Lady' is payment enough. One I do intend to collect on. Immediately actually." At that Lillian stopped walking and looked at Jack wondering what could be so important that required her assistance at this time, "What do you need or rather, what is it that your own people haven't been able to obtain?" Jack took a drag from his cigarette and blew out before answering her. "Your husband's last 3 years of research." That blindsided her normal expression and left her open mouthed at his request. "Jack, I'm good. But Henry's security is nothing to sneeze at." To say Lillian was worried was an understatement. "I understand. However you know our arrangement. Do this and I will ensure Henry Lawson can never come near you or your daughter again." There was an undercurrent to what Jack was saying that she picked up on. She knew what he meant. ' _Do this and walk away with your daughter. Don't and I send you back to the estate_ '. "Fine. I'll get it done." Jack put on a smile after blowing out another puff of cigarette smoke, "Good. Then let us proceed."

Miranda was waiting on a bench when she spotted her mother with a man she did not recognize smoking a cigarette. "Mum, are you okay?" she asked as she ran towards her mother wrapping her arms around her waist and burying her face in her mother's stomach. She felt her mother's gentle hands place themselves on her back and the top of her head were they stroked her hair softly, "Yes dear, I'm perfectly alright." Her mother let go of her to turn her attention to their guest, "Miranda I want you to meet Jack Harper. He's an old acquaintance of mine from when I used to work. He'll be taking you to our new home." She looked at her mother noting the way she said that last part, "Aren't you coming with me?" Lillian looked at her with a sad smile. Miranda knew what the answer was already from the saddened look her mother had. She wasn't coming but she still needed to hear it. "I'm sorry love, there's something I must do before I can join you. I need to make sure we are free once we leave. But I will join you when I can my dear. I promise." Miranda looked at her mother and saw the hesitation in her eyes. She knew her mother did not want to leave her, but she saw that it might not be up to her. So she did nothing but wrap her arms around her mother's waist and hug her, "I love you mum. Please come back for me soon." She let her mother go with tears in her eyes as well as her mother's.

"Where are we going?" she turned her attention to Jack Harper who had been standing there smoking a new cigarette, having already exhausted the last one. "One of the outer colonies. Mindoir. We'll depart within the next minute. For now that's all you need to know. I'll let you say your final goodbyes." Jack said as he made his way to the loading area. The bribed guard had already left once Lillian had shown up, so now it was just her and her mother. Her mother bent down to her knee to be eye level with Miranda, "Be good while I'm away Miranda. And try to make some friends while you're there. The house you will be at will have food and money to last a few months. However, if I do not show up within two days, go to this address. There's a family there that can look after you. I've already talked to the parents. They understand the situation." Miranda looked at her mother with understanding, soaking up every detailed instruction she could before giving her a nod of agreement. Lillian spoke once more saying, "I am so proud to be your mother. One day you will grow up to be more beautiful than me, and a even better person than I ever was." They both hugged each other one last time where Lillian whispered "Be safe my dear. I love you very much." "I love you to mum" Miranda replied as they let go of their embrace and Miranda turned to face a new chapter in her life with many thoughts running around in her mind. The ones that stood out the most were ' _Please come soon mum_ ' and ' _I wonder if I'll get to see him again_.' She stepped on the shuttle next to Jack, turned around to see her mother blow her a kiss and wave one last time.

 **2163 Mindoir – Fall Semester 6** **th** **Grade Year Middle School; End of School day**

BBRRRRRRPP! "WINNER! THE RED TEAM!" The students on Red team were cheering loud and patting their star players on the back. Around them the students in the sidelines and bleachers were cheering as well at the game they just saw. Some of the Blue team students were sulking and staring daggers at the other team. "Of course they win. Any team that has either of the 'Twins' let alone BOTH of them, are going to win!" one of the male students called out. "Quit whining. They beat us fair and square. Even after the fact you and Fred started ganging up on them!" another of the students called out this time a female. "How the hell is it that 10 year olds in the 6th grade with older kids, constantly kick our asses? Shouldn't we be the ones pulverizing them?" another boy, Jake, a friend of the first boy spoke up confused by the outcome of their game which they lost in an embarrassing fashion. "Maybe we lost cause you're slow Jake" one of the girls told the last boy who spoke up, "How else do you explain losing 10-0 in soccer? We barely had the ball before one of them would steal it and score." The first boy named Bill Toombs, or Billy as the other students knew him by, finally spoke up saying "Yeah, well I think it's about time someone teach the Shepards about knowing their place. They're NOT special. Just a bunch of little freaks."

Three years. It's already been three years since the Shepards had moved to Mindoir. John and Jane had proven to be intelligent beyond their respective age groups. So much so that they were advanced to the 6th grade from their other classmates in the 5th. However even with the advancement, the Twins felt out of place. It wasn't that they didn't make friends. It was the fact that they still didn't feel challenged enough. When one obstacle would present itself, they both would blast through the challenge with flying colors, earning respect and, in some cases, jealousy from the other students.

"Hey was it just me, or did one of them glow when he kicked the ball?" Fred, one of Billy's closest friends, asked the group looking curious at what he saw earlier. Talitha, the first girl to speak up said "Yeah. And it wasn't just one either. They both started glowing white." Samantha, or Sam, spoke up next "No, that's not right. It wasn't that they glowed but more like a white mist was coming from them. Kind of like they were running with fog trailing them."

"Who the fuck cares! Those little brats need to go back to the circus and do their glow-in-the-dark magic trick than stay hear." Billy said earning a snicker from Fred. Both Billy and Fred had earned themselves as the school bullies. Not many of the other students generally liked them. They did the usual of picking on the more isolated kids, those who were weaker than them, as well as those who were too afraid to stand up for themselves. That was, until John and Jane Shepard came to their school. "Billy, why don't you grow up and except that you suck at soccer even when you cheat," Talitha said with an annoyed look already on her face from his attitude towards her friends. Unlike him Talitha got along quite well with the Twins. Especially Jane. Often the two would spend lunches together or sit next to each other in class. Their friendship was also reinforced at home to. Talitha and her family didn't live far from the Shepards. Only a 15 minute bike ride and they could meet.

"Why don't you stuff it Talitha. Just because you're a kiss ass to the Twins doesn't mean I have to be." Billy said to her and bringing her out of her train of thought. "You know what Billy, fuck you," she said while flipping him the bird and then walked off. "You can be a real asshole, you know that Billy?" Sam said and soon followed Talitha. As they made their way to the Twins, the final bell of the day sounded, marking the end of another school day. "Come on Bill, let's go to the Hangout." Fred and Billy being the only two standing at their spot finally started to make their way off the field with all the other kids. The Hangout was the area where all the other kids gathered. It was an area with makeshift ramps for the skateboarders, food vendors, and a gazebo that the school band or a local singing group would come up and sing or play. Overall, the Hangout was a place where kids of any age would 'hangout'. The name being simply The Hangout, it was simple and everyone knew it as such. No one knew who started this, or if they still were around, but it was a place for all the kids to unwind.

Later on in the day John and Jane found themselves in the company of their friend Talitha. School had let out about 2 hours ago. Their father wouldn't be home for another 2 more hours if not longer depending on if the local colonization development let out at an appropriate time. Local time put it at 1700 (5 pm). "Thanks for kicking our asses earlier today. Quite enjoyed falling on my butt. Twice." Talitha said to the Twins holding up 2 of her fingers. John just shrugged with a grin as they continued walking to the Hangout. Jane on the other hand was a little sorrier than her brother. "Sorry about that. I forget how competitive we can get when we're trying to outdo each other." Jane told Talitha with a small apologetic smile across her face. Talitha was curious at that apology. ' _Wait…outdo each other?!_ ' Talitha thought as soon after she had to ask "Hold on you mean that during the game you both were competing against not just the other team, but each OTHER as well?! So kicking OUR asses was just a side note?!" Jane looked at John for help but instead he just looked at Talitha and said "I won. I scored 6 times while Jane scored 4." Jane didn't like that reminder and proved it by punching John in the arm, earning an "OWW!" from him, "Why do you got to be so violent Sis? One of these days I'm going to kick your ass because you earned it. Or in a sparring match. Whichever one comes first…This I SWEAR…Jerk." Both Talitha and Jane laughed at John's 'vow of vengeance', with John soon joining in. They both knew he wasn't serious. He loved his sister despite their constant competitions and disagreements. He understood Jane just as she understood him. They were twins after all.

 **The Hangout: 30 minutes later**

The Hangout was in full swing for the start of the local weekend. Most of the Middle and High School students were there swapping stories, complaints, laughter, and the rare grudge match. Today would be one of those rare days.

John, Jane, and Talitha were with the rest of the students who played in the soccer game, all of them joking and enjoying each other's company. Despite some heated confrontations in their new school, the Twins also were respected because of not only their talent, but their personality as well. As the students talked to them individually, they found that both had a quality that made you want to be there with them. To help them if you could whether it made a difference or not. To the Twins, it didn't matter if it did or didn't. What mattered to them was that you made the effort. Both were smart and helped the other students in whatever they needed, whether it be school work, proper form in sports, opinions, etc. Despite being younger than them, it was like talking to someone well beyond their years and they liked that about the Twins. So most called them friends. Good friends even. Though not everyone shared that view point. Billy sat off to the side on a bench next to a food vendor. He never did like the fact that 2 kids could be so "perfect". It was ridiculous to him. He needed to find a way to vent his anger. Like hit someone or go start a fire. ' _Come on Bill. You really should stop being such an ass to the Twins. Every time you even make an attempt anyway it ends with you looking like an idiot instead of them_ ' he thought as he continued to observe them. He wasn't always the school bully. It just sort of happened to fall that way. One day he was helping Fred out from a couple of the older kids. They had decided to try and steal from his friend but Billy wouldn't have any of that. So he picked up a random stick that was laying on the ground and started beating the older kids. The next day however, the parents of the older kids complained and called him a trouble maker; they even went to go so far as to say he started the whole event. The parents wanted him suspended but instead the school decided to give him community service as a form of punishment. Word of the event got out to the other students and they just labeled him as the school bully. Pretty soon he himself believed it as he lashed out at everyone except Fred, who had stayed as his friend. "If only things were different" he whispered to himself. He didn't care how people saw him anymore so now every kind of mischief was fair game. Just as he was about to get up and start trouble something caught his eye. A girl wondering around looking very lost. If he had to guess he'd say she was about the same age as the Twins. ' _What the hell is someone like that wondering around here for? She looks lost to_ ' he thought. As he continued to watch he noticed that for a kid she was very pretty, with black hair and pale skin. When she turned in his general direction he saw she also had blue eyes. "Well, I could always use some more spending money, and she looks to be a rich brat with some extra change so why the hell not" he said to himself as he started making his way towards her.

John was standing with the other students from the soccer game. Of course the students were all joking and laughing at one another about how he and his sister smeared the Blue team practically by themselves. However at the moment he zoned himself out of the conversation to his thoughts, and a nagging feeling that has been plaguing him lately. Not too long ago, a few days maybe, John had awoken to a weird sensation. Weird in the sense that he didn't know where it was coming from, even weirder still was the fact it felt familiar but he couldn't place it or understand why it did. Though he knew it was close by. Often he would feel the sensation get stronger as he went by one of the hotels a couple of blocks away from the school. As he walked away though the feeling would weaken as well until when he was at home it was just a noticeable tingle in the back of his subconscious. Today though it was particularly strong to the point he couldn't focus on anything else. Not even the muffled words coming to him from someone. He felt that same muffled person grab his shoulder and turn him around towards them. It was Jane with what could only be described as both a worried/confused look on her face. "You okay Bro? You've been zoned out of everything for a while now" she said as she let him go. John was trying to reorganize himself before saying "Yeah…yeah I'm alright. Just lost in thought I guess." Talitha was standing there with his sister as she spoke up saying "Maybe you should sit down. Don't need you collapsing on us. No offense but I don't want to carry you back to your house. Lord knows what kind of rumors would start if that happened." John chuckled a bit at the thought and wore a small grin, even though he didn't feel any better. "Yeah I think I'll go hang out on that bench over there" he said as he pointed to one underneath a tree.

Before he took a step however Jane spoke up with an annoyed tone while staring in the direction of one of the food vendors; and Billy. "Oh for Christ's sake! What is that idiot doing this time?" Jane almost shouted in an aggressive tone as she spotted him harassing someone. Talitha looked over in the direction Jane had pointed and spotted the other person with Billy, "Who is that girl with him? I can't see her face so I can't tell who she is" she said while trying to tip toe to get a better view. John looked in the direction finally and felt the sensation intensify. ' _What the hell is going on?! This feeling…it kind of feels like…irritation? That's odd. But why though_?' John continued to stare while slowing making his way towards Billy and whoever was with him. He didn't even hear his sister call out to him wondering where he was going. He just kept approaching the unsuspecting two. The sensation was getting stronger and more irritated, ' _Is it coming from the girl? If so then why the hell am I feeling it? Who the heck is she?_ ' As John approached closer, he could start to make out what the girl and Billy were saying, "I said leave me alone!" ' _That voice…it sure sounds nice but strong to_ ' "Sure kid. I'll get out of your hair. Just buy me something to eat first. I'm starving. Oh, hey Fred! You hungry? The new kid is buying!" he heard Billy say as Fred joined the 2 now. ' _Great, the dunce duo are together. Why don't they just back off already?_ ' "Would you just go away?! I'm not buying you a thing! Now why don't you and your friend run along before I make you regret you stupid intimidation techniques." As the girl turned to walk away, Billy grabbed her by her under arm, forcefully turning her towards him. By now some of the other students had already noticed the situation, although they chose to stay out of it. ' _I guess they don't want to ruin their evenings'. Selfish._ ' John thought as he made the last few steps towards the group. There were few things that got under John's skin. This situation was one of them.

"BILLY! Enough, she's already told you 'no'. Why don't you let her go already?" he said loud enough to get the attention of the group and several of the students' attention. Both Billy and Fred stared at John with an annoyed look. John could care less. However when the girl turned to face him, his mind went blank; "Miranda?!" he said with a shocked look on his face although he wasn't the only one judging by her expression. ' _How the hell did she get way out here? Guess I better ask_ ' he thought, "What are you doing here?" The response he got wasn't the one he wanted since it wasn't Miranda who spoke up, it was Billy "Get out of here freak! Your friend here is buying us dinner since we're hungry." John noticed Miranda roll her eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh at Billy's statement before she said "Hi John. It's nice to see you again after these 3 years. Sorry for the inconvenience with this blow hard." John looked at her thinking ' _Wow. She's going to kill this guy if things continue like this._ ' He noticed from his peripheral vision that Jane and Talitha had shown up as well and were standing to the side watching the heated exchange. John also noticed a few more of the male students that like to hang around Billy show up also. He did a mental count and came up with 5 to include Billy and Fred. John didn't like fighting. He decided that if he ever had to fight it would be for the best reasons or as a last resort. He preferred to help people although fighting might very well be one of the most effective ways to do it. So John prepared himself for the confrontation, knowing already that none of the other boys liked him or his sister. He had already accepted that, and judging by Jane's posture, she was ready as well if he needed help.

John tried one more attempt to persuade Billy but he already knew it wouldn't work so what happened next came as no surprise, "Billy let her go and just walk away. If you don't, your evening will be ruined. Trust me." Billy only partially listened as he tossed Miranda to the side of the crowd and charged at John. He knew it was coming just as he already knew Billy favored his right hand as it was his dominate side, so when Billy swung wide with a right hail maker, John sidestepped to his left bringing his right leg behind Billy's own right leg. As he did this, John brought his right hand upwards in an open palm strike to Billy's throat. The Twins never publicized that one of the favorite things they like to do was combative training with the Marines stationed on the SSV Einstein. During that time both John and Jane had trained on and off with them learning the different techniques of punches, kicks, arm bars, and so forth. Obviously Billy wasn't expecting the blow as it sent him tripping over John's leg and gasping for air as he laid on the ground holding his throat. The other kids were all stunned except for Jane who wore a smug expression on her face. " **Why you little fucker!** " one of Billy's friends said as they charged John. The first and second friend of Billy's made their way towards John, however as the third proceeded as well, he felt a strong kick behind his left knee, causing him to buckle down to his left side. Before he could react he felt his left arm tug more towards the left and soon felt a sharp kick to the back of the head. The boy had forgotten that Jane was also there with her brother. As Jane brought her kick forward, she adjusted her weight to bring her kick full swing in the opposite direction catching the poor boy in the face in a full 360 degree kick, knocking him unconscious. Talitha watched Jane perform this feat with a roar that no 10 year old should make as she yelled out "HOLY SHIT!" The fight wasn't over though.

The other 2 boys were pressing John in a fury of kicks and punches that, as sporadic as it was, John couldn't avoid all of them as one of the boys caught him with a punch to his lip while the other managed to score a hit to his ribs. ' _Yup, that's going to hurt in the morning_ ' John thought as he managed to side step the first boy's left punch. John pushed on his back sending him to fall forward into the ground, however he couldn't stop there as the second boy was already swinging wildly to make contact with John's face. All he could do was continue to dodge and weave out of the way, already knowing that this boy could knock him out if he landed a successful punch. Suddenly he felt himself being grabbed from behind as the first boy had gotten up already and wrapped his arms around John's chest catching him in a bear hug. John was surprised but recovered quickly as he leaned his head to the left, feeling air rush past him as the second boy's fist collided with the first boy's nose. The first one let go of John as he grabbed his face from the shock of the impact, giving John enough room to head butt the second boy in his nose sending him backwards in pain. _'Alright, looks like they're close enough to try out what that move in the old holo vids_ ' John thought as he charged the second boy. He used the second boy's leg as a stepping stool to launch himself into the air performing a backwards flip, catching the second boy in the jaw with his foot. As he made his full turn, John managed to catch the first boy on top of his head in a downward motion with his kick, finishing up as he landed on both of his feet. The first boy was on the ground knocked out while the second was holding the spot under his chin where John's foot made contact, too much in pain to even attempt to stand. John looked at the damage he had dealt and couldn't help but think ' _Holy shit! I can't believe that worked!_ '

His victory was short lived however as Billy came up from behind and, using both of his fist together like a club, brought them down in a swinging motion to the back of John's head. John was very much unprepared for the hit as it sent him to the ground hard causing him to lose the air in his lungs. "You little fucking freak! It's about time you learned some respect" Billy said as he started kicking John in his stomach and back with the occasional hit to his face. As Billy was about to swing again, John noticed Miranda and Jane charging Billy from his right. Unfortunately so did Billy, so instead Billy brought his arm close to him and swung outward catching Miranda across on the right side of her face. As she stumbled backward, Jane collided with her sending them both to the ground. Billy wasn't done yet though as John saw him give both Jane and Miranda a kick to the gut causing them both to gasp and almost empty the contents of their stomachs. He heard Billy shout "Stay out of this girlies. This is between me and him!" That was the last straw for John though. Suddenly the area was illuminated in white as John's biotics kicked on sending Billy to fly a few feet away from him. John was on his feet already, surrounded in a white biotic aura, with only anger in his eyes. His pupils were almost nonexistent as they shined brightly from his aura. All the students who had been watching the fight were now terrified of him as was Billy, while Jane and Miranda just looked at John in astonishment. John raised his hand up, surrounding Billy in a lift field bringing him closer to John. Billy couldn't move a finger as he was left to John's mercy, however he could still talk so he pleaded saying "Please! Please don't hurt me! I'll never bother you again!" John looked at Billy, then turned to Miranda and Jane. His sister game him a small grin and shrugged while Miranda had a small smile and slightly shook her head. John turned back towards Billy and spoke in a hollowed out voice saying "If I found out you bullied anybody else after this, I will break your fingers first, then your hands so that you can never touch anyone ever again. Now go."

John released his hold on Billy, the aura surrounding him disappearing. Billy hit the ground and quickly ran off, John hoping that he would finally stop holding onto his hatred for his own mistreatment. John had heard the story about what happened with Billy and Fred. He didn't like it and found the way the students acted towards him unjustified, but that didn't mean Billy had the right to hurt anybody else for it. Especially Miranda and Jane were now back on their feet staring at John like everyone else surrounding him. John looked at Miranda, gave her a small smile and said "Hey Miranda. It is good to see…" was all he managed to get out of his mouth as everything went black and he lost consciousness. Both Jane and Miranda saw that he was about to fall and instinctively made to catch him. Miranda reached him first, grabbing his arm and placing it over her shoulders so she could support his weight, while Jane performed the same action on his other side. Jane called out to Talitha, "Hey Talitha, can you grab our stuff and help us get him home?" Talitha nodded and ran off to grab what little they brought with them to the Hangout. Jane looked at the crowd who were all whispering amongst themselves before speaking "Hey everyone we're going to head home. Sorry if this ruined you evening." All the students tried saying it was okay but too many were talking over each other so it came out as babbling. Jane looked over to Miranda, "You ready to head out? Or do you have something more pressing to take care of?" she asked as Miranda just rolled her eyes and gave Jane a looked that spoke 'Are you serious?' Jane just laughed and said "Alright. Then let's get going." With that the girls made their way slowly but surely back towards the Twins' home.

 **Shepard Home: One hour later**

As the group came walking up to a house, which Miranda assumed was John and Jane's home, she studied the surrounding area and the building itself. It was a two story home with several windows on both the first and second floor. She did a mental count of the windows upstairs, coming to the conclusion that more than likely the house could probably hold five or six people comfortably. It reminded her of the old Victorian homes with a small front porch and a few chairs around a table right outside. ' _I wonder if this is what an actual home is supposed to look like_ ' Miranda thought as they approached the porch. The girl who Miranda assumed was named Talitha, judging by Jane's earlier mention of her name, spoke up "I'll get the door. Jane when are your parents supposed to be back?" Jane looked at Talitha before replying "Thanks Talitha, and my folks won't be home for a while. Plus it will just be Dad; Mom is deployed right now. Miranda let's move John into the living room. We'll set him down on the couch once we're inside." Miranda simply nodded and proceeded inside through the front door with an unconscious John draped over Jane and her own shoulder. She hadn't spoken much since their initial reunion, if it could be called that. She also wasn't sure if she could afford to trust so easily now either. She had no one to call family with her. The only family she did have was her mother who might very well be dead. She was on her own and needed to make decisions that would benefit her own situation. Right now though John was unconscious because of her. So she felt that she should help in exchange for him helping her. ' _I wonder why he did it. Was it because of that feeling I got from him? That weird sensation I've been feeling since coming here. Is he the reason for it?_ ' Miranda thought as they made their way into the living room. It was a rather comfortable setting. There were two couches facing each other on opposite sides of a medium size living room table with a third couch facing the fire place. "Miranda sit on the couch" Jane ordered. Miranda looked at her with a questioning expression on her face. ' _Why?_ ' she thought, but she did as she was told seeing as she was a guest in Jane's home. Her mother always said to her that manners were as important as basic necessities. As she sat down, Talitha helped Jane lay John down. That's when Miranda's eyes went wide as they laid his head down on her lap, "What do you think you're doing?!" she asked. Jane looked at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world or at least should be obvious, "We're laying his head on your lap that way you can both support his head and keep him from falling on the floor. Or would you prefer otherwise?" Miranda looked at Jane trying to figure out if she was being genuinely serious or not, but after 30 seconds or so she figured she was being serious, so Miranda accepted the task she was given with some small form of displeasure in the back of her mind from being reduced to a pillow. "*sigh* Alright. I'll take care of him" she said but if she was really honest with herself, she really didn't mind. Jane gave her a grateful smile before saying "Thank you. Now Talitha come help me find the first aid kit. I know Mom keeps one in the house somewhere. If we're lucky it will have medigel."

Miranda could hear Jane continue to talk as both of the girls walked away further into the house. She looked around the room, studying all the different photos placed on the wall thinking ' _I didn't know they still made printed photos. Interesting. I wonder if I can find paper to. What would that feel like?_ ' Miranda continued looking around, while, as if on instinct, stroking John's hair softly as she placed her other hand on his. What she didn't see was that Jane and Talitha had been watching from around the corner of the door frame, using a mirror to spy on her and John. As Miranda studied the family portrait hanging above the fire place, her attention was brought to her hand as she felt it being pressed between his fingertips, finally realizing that they had been holding hands the whole time. What's more was when she looked down at John's bruised face, he was looking back at her. As their eyes lock, a small light came from their conjoined hands, bringing their attention to the light display currently being performed right in front of them. It was their biotics performing another dance of intertwining white and blue, although on a much smaller scale compared to last time. They both stared at the display in confusion, until it clicked that they were holding hands. Quickly both of them retracted their hands from each other and tried to look anywhere else but each other. That proved very difficult as John started looking around then noticed that his head was on her lap, "Hey Miranda, why am I laying down on you lap?" Miranda could feel the blush coming over her face as he asked her the same question she had asked his sister, so she just responded in the same fashion "We laid you down like this so that way I could both support you and keep you from falling. Although if you would like I can move." As she finished talking she made an attempt to stand but quickly stopped as John replied saying "No. No it's perfectly alright" causing her to blush some more. "It wasn't my idea by the way, it was your sister's" Miranda said, causing John to roll his eyes before speaking again, "Of course it was. Only she would come up with that kind of logic for this situation and…One second…JANE, STOP PEEKING FROM THE CORNER AND GO FIND THE MED KIT SO YOU CAN FIX MY FACE!" Miranda was wondering why he was yelling until she heard Jane and Talitha run off laughing while singing "John and Miranda, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Miranda just placed her head in her left hand saying "Oh my god…you two are really related?" she asked looking at John who just laughed but not for long however, as he started cringing from the multiple bruises he had received from earlier.

Miranda reached out to the area John was holding, placing her hand on is again with a worried expression on her face. She frowned thinking _'this is my fault'_. Her thoughts were broken when John spoke up, "I'm sorry". That confused her immensely. Miranda didn't understand why John apologized as she wondered ' _Why is he sorry? He's the one who got harmed because of me. If anything I should be the one apologizing_ ', but before she could speak up she saw John's hand reach up and touch the side of her face. She flinched, not realizing that she had a bruise from when the boy named Billy hit her after she and Jane tried to help. "Does it hurt?" John asked as he pulled his hand away noticing the flinch she made earlier. "It's a little tender, but I'll be fine John. Nothing I can't handle. Besides, you have nothing to apologize for. After all, you are like this because of me" she gestured to the rest of John's body, indicating the scrapes and bruises. John just smiled at her saying "Well, what kind of hero doesn't at least make an attempt to save the damsel in distress without coming out with a few battle scars? Think all the ladies will like the rugged look?" Miranda laughed. She gave a genuine laugh that she hadn't done in three years and it felt wonderful to be able to share it with him, "Hahaha you might want to consider surgery. From what your sister told me the look is an upgrade from how your face normally is." John gave her a mock hurt look, "Well that's rude. Maybe I'll go get beat up some more then. How 'bout them apples?" Miranda just smiled and flicked him on the forehead, "You better not John. I'm not carrying you here a second time. You're a lot heavier than you look." It was John's turn to laugh at this as he hadn't been told this before, "Ha ha yeah sorry about that. But hey maybe next time I can carry you." Once more, Miranda laughed, "I think we should wait awhile before we attempt something like that John." John simply looked at Miranda, smiled and said "I look forward to it. By the way what were you doing out there in the first place?" Miranda simply pulled a card out with an address on it showing it to him. John took the card reading the address out loud before stopping midway, "Miranda, this address. That's for here, my home. Why do…" as he tried to ask both Miranda and John looked up at the door frame to hear someone clearing their throat. Miranda looked at the woman standing in the doorway surprised at how much noise was not heard from entering the living room, much less the front door. That's when John threw her off some more by simply saying "Mom?"


	4. Nightmares, Daydreams, and Discussions

Mass Effect: Hearts of Many through Time

 **A/N: Hey everybody, here is my next chapter. I apologize for the late turn out. My job has me away from the writing table. I will try to post another chapter before I head out for the next 2 weeks however it might not happen. Mostly humor with some or really a lot of smut in it this time. Or at least an attempt at it. Still feels very new and different to be writing in general. Let me know if I did well at the smut thing or the humor thing and if you want to see something different for later chapters. Enjoy and please review.**

Chapter 4: Nightmares, Daydreams, and Discussions

 **2163 Mindoir Shuttle Port Entrance**

Hannah Shepard's shuttle had landed on Mindoir an hour ago with many tired soldiers such as herself stepping off. Some for a simple rest & relaxation period between tours. For Hannah this would spell a much needed break between combat tours. Her ship, the SSV Einstein, had spent the past 7 months finding resources, establishing supply lines, and driving away pirates who were too stupid enough to attempt ship-to-ship combat with a group of Alliance ships. The few times the SSV Einstein had participated in combat, it was Hannah's job to ensure the crew did their jobs as the Captain led from the CIC. However it was the second part of her job that she felt was the more frustrating. As she made her way out of the terminal many of those "incidents" were running through her mind as she never figured out a few of them, such as one of the Marines sneaking a pyjak on board. This came to light as the monkey-type animal got loose from the Marines' quarters. The next 13 hours were hell, as the pyjak made fools of most of them in successfully evading the crew. During that time the pyjak snuck into the mess hall for a snack; ran through the women's locker room with some screaming out into the halls with nothing but towels on; flung its own feces at the engineers who attempted to remove it from atop of the cooling pipelines. Finally, after the long 13 hour ordeal, the Captain had managed to apprehend the loose and troublesome mammal with a simple piece of fruit. The crew was both astonished that their Captain was good with animals, and annoyed that it was that simple to catch the damn thing.

Hannah chuckled as she remembered the Captain's warpath as he tore the offending personnel a new hole to empty their bowels out of. Bringing herself out of her thoughts, Hannah grabbed her bag from the baggage claim area then proceeded down to the main entrance. As she made her way to the front Hannah spotted her husband Joseph standing with a sign and a bouquet of lilies, her favorite flower and also extremely hard to acquire here in the outer colonies. She smiled at her husband who still had the same rugged look and permanent five o' clock shadow on his face. She thought he was the best husband any woman could ask for and the best father any mother could hope for her children. Joseph looked at her with a broad smile as he said "Welcome back home. I've missed you very much". The two met halfway and embraced each other with a long, passionate kiss, earning a few looks from passersby. When meeting Hannah and Joseph, most people could not understand how they have been happily and successfully married, even with the burden of being separated constantly. Both Hannah and Joseph simply told them "We are happy because we just love each other. We are blessed to be with one another and to have amazing children together whom we hope grow up to be just as happy in their own lives". That answer simply confused those who had a negative view on long distance and military relationships. The two didn't care though. Both Hannah and Joseph were happy with their lives and no one could tell them different.

Hannah finally broke the kiss with a smile on her face, looked into her husband's eyes and said "Oh Joseph. It's very good to be back. I've missed you as well. How're the kids? Have they had any trouble?" She asked as Joseph grabbed her bag and they proceeded to their sky car. "The kids are doing well, although I suspect they might be a little bored with school life. They still don't know you are supposed to be coming home early. Oh and believe me it was not easy hiding that fact either. I could almost swear they tried to hack my messages to see if you sent something." Hannah laughed at her husband's troubles. She knew what a hassle John and Jane could be by themselves and even worse when together. After a few minutes Joseph had their sky car moving towards their home on the outskirts of the main colony. Hannah finally looked over to her husband after thinking about how to phrase her next question, "Have you heard from Lillian yet?" Joseph looked at her with a somber expression before turning his attention back to the road and replying, "No. It's already been 48 hours. I haven't seen her daughter around either…I don't think they made it off Earth." Hannah looked down at her bouquet in a moment of silence. When she spoke it was gentle and comforting, something her husband needed right now she figured. "I am sorry love. I know you wanted to help her. When you first told me who she was all those years ago, I couldn't believe it. Especially the part where she saved your life while in A.I.B.O. (Alliance Intelligence Black Ops)." Joseph simply sighed and said, "Yeah it was a crazy time. Although as crazy as it was, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here with you and the kids. So I felt I owed her the favor of looking out for her daughter…However it looks like I won't be able to repay that debt." Hannah looked at her husband. She understood why he wanted to help and she felt he was in the right to want to do so. _'I would do the same if I were in your shoes Joseph'_ she thought as they pulled up to the drive way of their home. Hannah stepped out of their vehicle, noticing the footprints leading up to front porch. She also noticed the drag marks leading up to the front porch. Hannah sighed, then looked at her husband before saying in an amused tone, "If they brought something to destroy our home, I'm blaming you." Joseph had her bag in one hand and rubbed the back of his neck with the other, and a sheepish grin "I'll accept that. I guess." As he spoke a sense of foreboding crossed his mind as he knew his wife was serious _'Please let the house be in one peace. I really don't want to sleep on the couch._ '

 **Mindoir: Shepard Home**

Hannah smiled at her husband's discomfort then proceeded to make her way to the door. Since it was still a surprise that she was home early from her deployment, Hannah quietly made her way up the porch. When she reached the front door, she decided to keep up her secret homecoming as she made her way through the doorway as quietly as she could. That's when she heard her son talking to someone whose voice she did not recognize, "Well that's rude. Maybe I'll go get beat up some more then. How 'bout them apples?" Hannah could've sworn the girl who spoke up next just flicked or smacked her son if the sound she heard was correct. "You better not John. I'm not carrying you here a second time. You're a lot heavier than you look." She made her way to the voices and peeked around the corner to finally get a look at who her son was talking to, _'Carry? Why would they need…'_ she thought as then Hannah observed her son's face. He looked like he hit every tree branch while falling out of one, _'What happened to him?! John why are you bruised EVERYWHERE?!_ ' she thought as the two continued talking.

"Ha ha yeah sorry about that. But hey maybe next time I can carry you." Hannah heard her son laugh and spotted the girl who was sitting on the couch with John's head on her lap _'Wow. That is a very beautiful girl…Wait, haven't I met her before?'_ As Hannah observed her son and the girl several things were running through her mind as she heard the girl laugh before saying, "I think we should wait awhile before we attempt something like that John." Her son continued speaking with a smile as he stared at the girl, "I look forward to it." As Hannah observed her son with the beautiful girl, she couldn't help but noticed the air around the two of them. It was like looking at two lovers who had known each other for decades. As if a light bulb went off in her head she finally remembered where she met the girl, _'AUSTRALIA! That's where I met her before. It was after that weird event with her and John flying through the air in a ball of biotic light! What was her name again?'_ Her thoughts were broken as John asked "By the way what were you doing out there in the first place?" The girl pulled out a card from her pocket and showed it to John. Hannah finally couldn't take it anymore as she stepped out into the doorway to the living room and stared at the two. _'Might as well get their attention'_ Hannah thought as she cleared her throat, cutting her son off in midsentence, "Miranda, this address. That's for here, my home. Why do…" Hannah looked at her son and the girl, who had shocked expressions on their faces, _'Miranda…that's her name. Miranda Lawson if I remember correctly. What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. It looks like Joseph will get to keep his promise.'_ John looked at her, simply saying "Mom?"

John stared at his mother for what felt like an eternity. As the two looked at each other, his father decided to join them stepping into the doorway making all kinds of noise, "Hey love why is your bag heavier than what the hell?!" Joseph stopped and stared at John and Miranda. Soon enough everyone heard laughing coming from the kitchen doorway as they all turned to spot Talitha trying to support Jane from falling on the ground from laughing so hard at John's expense. John looked at his sister, putting the pieces together in his head, _'So this was the surprise that she talked about the other day. Mom coming home early…OH YOU LITTLE TURD! YOU SET THIS UP!'_ John quickly made to get up while trying to explain himself at what was going on, "Mom, Dad, I can explain wha…" He managed to get out as the pain in his ribs caused him to stumble forward and trip over his own feet.

Miranda noticed that John was about to fall. Quickly she jumped off the couch, catching John before he could completely fall down. As she took on his weight, Miranda moved John back to the couch and laid his head back down on her lap. She looked at him with a frown on her face. She was worried at how bad the bruising around his chest would be. Miranda imagined it would look worse once they actually took a look at it in better lighting. John simply looked at her, and she looked at him. Neither of them spoke a word though they didn't have to. He smiled at her. It was a warm, gentle smile that was simply saying without speaking _'Thank you'_. Miranda looked at John, smiling back at him thinking _'You're welcome'_.

Jane looked at the scene before her, having finally stopped laughing. She saw her brother and Miranda exchange smiles while also noticing the expressions on her parents' faces. Jane looked back at John and Miranda thinking, _'Huh. That's funny. Their faces look like they've been married for a long time. Almost the way mom and dad look when they say they love you to each other…Oh god! What a bunch of weirdoes!'_ Jane looked at her parents wondering if they were thinking the same thing as well. Judging by their expressions, the same thought had passed their minds as well.

Hannah stared at her son and Miranda. She was baffled by the way the two looked at each. Almost as if they were speaking to each other with their minds. What shocked her more was the not only the look but the energy radiating from them. It spoke volumes, as if they had known each other longer than herself and Joseph. She shared an exchanged look with her husband, knowing he was thinking the same thing _. 'They're way too young to be like this, but it feels natural when I look at them. Like they were made for each other…hmm, maybe they_ ' Hannah thought as she nudged her husband to speak up. Joseph looked at her confused on the nudge, causing her to roll her eyes and point to the girl named Miranda. He looked at Miranda, then back to her even more confused, _'seriously?! You're lucky I love you Joseph'_ she thought _._

Miranda and John were broken out of their trance as she heard John's mother clear her throat once more, "John, aren't you going to introduce us to your 'friend'?" The way she said friend made Miranda think she meant more by it than just a simple friend. Once more John tried to get up on his feet, this time Miranda placed his arm around her shoulder to support him as they hobbled around the living room furniture towards his parents. Finally standing in front of his parents, Miranda felt oddly nervous for some reason and she really didn't know why. She let John go as he hugged his mother around the waist saying "Welcome home mom. This is Miranda Lawson. She was the girl who we met in Australia." John let go of his mother who was almost knocked back by Jane, as she threw herself into her arms laughing "Mommy! Welcome home." Miranda saw the exchange between the two and felt a bit saddened by it. She missed her mother greatly and worried that she might be hurt somewhere.

Miranda turned to face John's father who stared at her as if he had seen a ghost. She wondered why before saying "How do you do Mr. and Mrs. Shepard. It's nice to see you again." Hannah and Joseph widened a bit at the formal greeting made by an almost eleven year old girl. Joseph, amused at the level of manners Miranda just shown, replied with "Hello Miranda. We're doing quite well, thank you for asking. It's good to see you once more as well. May I ask where your mother is Miranda?" She looked down trying to figure out a good way to tell them, but couldn't come up with one. So Miranda quickly said "She is away on business. She'll come back soon though." She smiled, or at least attempted to smile while trying to look unsuspicious. John's father looked at her questioning every word she just said before smiling and turning to his family who were trying to get Jane to stop climbing on her mother "Alright everyone, who is hungry? Also John, do you mind telling us how you managed to get those bruises?"

So there everyone sat at the dinner table with a couple of pizzas laid out on both ends. Joseph was sitting at the head of the table while Hannah sat at the other end. Jane and Talitha sat on one side while John and Miranda sat on the opposite side next to each other. As they ate, the kids told Hannah and Joseph about everything that happened at the Hangout from Miranda first showing up to John glowing white with biotics before passing out. That last part intrigued both Hannah and Joseph. They both had discussed the possibility of their children being biotics after the incident in Australia; however they had discussed and decided to wait and see if both of their children could learn to control their biotics naturally, neither of them wanting to send their children away to the Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training (BAaT). They both knew of the stories surrounding the true nature of the program, so both were very skeptical about having John and Jane join. Hannah looked at her son, "Well, I'm glad you all weren't seriously hurt. I'm also proud that you tried to settle the altercation without violence. There is too much of that as it is in the galaxy. I'm also glad the medigel has worked wonders on your bruises John. How do you feel?" John's head perked up about to answer with a mouthful of pizza, but before he could Miranda put her hand to his mouth saying in a quiet, and rather suspiciously dark tone of voice, "John, don't try to speak with your mouth full. Attempt it and I will hurt you." John looked at her stunned as did Jane and everyone else except for Hannah. She watched with a smug expression on her face as John swallowed his food, quite loudly as well, as if he genuinely feared Miranda despite only knowing her for a short time. Hannah couldn't help but think _'Oh I like her. She'll make a great wife and mother one day. Hmm maybe a wife to John?'_ That final thought made her smile even more, receiving a questioning look from her husband.

Jane, who had been giggling at the predicament John found himself in, while she herself had a mouthful of food, couldn't hold it in anymore as she started laughing. This caused Miranda to turn her attention from John to Jane. Instantly Jane stopped laughing as Miranda started to be surrounded by a blue biotic field. Everyone's attention was on her now with Jane being the one to swallow her food loudly. From her point of view, Miranda was surrounded in what looked like an aura of a demon lord. Jane thought to herself _'I wonder if this is what John saw and was afraid of…yeah…Miranda can be terrifying. Kind of reminds me of mom in a way'_.

Hannah looked at her children who seemed to straighten up but get smaller at the same time, ' _How in the hell did a fellow ten year old, same age as John and Jane no less, manage to shut them up?! I've been trying for years to get them to do that!_ ' The silence around the table was broken as Joseph started laughing at his children. This in turn had a positive effect on everyone at the table, causing them all to laugh at what had just transpired. Talitha was the first to speak up, "Okay. Mr. and Mrs. Shepard, thank you for dinner but I think it's time for me to go home now. It is getting really late after all." Joseph looked at her then his two children, saying "Of course Talitha. John, Jane. Would you two walk Talitha home?" The twins looked at their father both replying at the same time "Sure dad/Yes papa". John looked at Miranda and asked "Do you want to come with us Miranda?" As she was about to say yes, Joseph spoke up once more in a more commanding tone than his usual one "Actually John, your mother and I need to speak with Miranda. Now the three of you, skedaddle while we three talk business."

Miranda looked at the adult Shepards then back to John. She was nervous and it probably showed. Miranda tried to look to him for advice but John simply smiled and gave a quick nod thinking ' _it'll be alright. You'll see_ '. As if hearing his thoughts, Miranda returned the gesture by grabbing his hand and squeezing it gently. As John, Jane, and Talitha made their way out of the house, Joseph, Hannah, and Miranda decided to move their conversation to the living room. Miranda and Hannah sat on one couch while Joseph sat on the other adjacent to them. A few minutes passed as Miranda soon was starting to fidget, rubbing her hands together placing them in between her knees. It was a tick of hers that was starting to become habit and she hated that. Hannah noticed her fidgeting, finally deciding to speak up first "Miranda, what do you know about your mother?" That question completely blindsided her. _'What do I know about mother? What does my mother have to do with this?'_ she thought, but before she could speak, Joseph answered for her "Miranda, we ask this because your mother and I used to work for the same division in the Alliance. Not work together but still worked out of the same branch. In fact she saved my life once."

Once more Miranda looked confused, this time voicing her thoughts "My mother saved your life? But I thought she worked as an intelligence officer. 'Desk job' is what she called." Hannah and Joseph shared a look. They knew more of her mother than what she apparently knew; and Lillian was her own mother for Christ sake. Hannah looked at Miranda again before speaking "Miranda, your mother gave you something. A card with an address correct?" Miranda didn't even try to speak, she simply pulled out the card her mother had given her at the shuttle terminal back on Earth, and handed it to Hannah. Hannah smiled while receiving the card, then turned to her husband who decided to fill in some of the details about the card, "Miranda, the address on the card is for here. This address. The reason for that being is about a year ago, your mother contacted me through an encrypted channel used only by AIBO personnel." Miranda was confused on the AIBO reference. It was one she never heard of from her mother or any military book she was required to study. Hannah spoke and explained "AIBO is an acronym for Alliance Intelligence Black Operations. Those in AIBO were considered some of the best infiltrators, spies, and, in extreme cases, assassins. Your mother was one of the best agents AIBO ever trained."

Joseph quickly added "she still is actually. Even now she is a legend amongst their current agents. She used to go by simply 'the Lady'. Although I never understood why. Anyway, back on topic, when Lillian contacted us it was for a favor. One that I couldn't refuse or would even think about refusing. I'm pretty sure you can guess what it was. Lillian told us that you were incredibly smart and analytical." Miranda looked down in thought, already piecing together the key details of information she had been given from both the Shepards and her mother. When it came to her what the favor her mother asked for was, she stared at both Hannah and Joseph hard, as if she didn't believe it. Hannah looked at her with a gentle expression saying, "That's right. The favor was to look after you. I know it is upsetting and scary to think what might have become of your mother. Rest assured though, she is alive. From the stories I've heard about her, she won't go down easy. I'm sorry if that doesn't bring comfort but it is the truth." Miranda looked down at her hands. She wanted to cry right there. She wanted her mother here with her. That was not going to happen though as Miranda already figured that Lillian was either captured or dead. It broke her heart at the thought, not knowing which was worse.

Trying not to cry, Miranda closed her eyes and willed with all her being to force back the tears that were about to come. However, she soon felt her inner self shatter as a pair of warm, soft hands surround hers. When she opened her eyes at whose hands they were, no amount of will kept her from crying. Hannah was holding onto her gently and soon, Miranda found herself being cradled in Mrs. Shepard's lap. By this point, Miranda was crying into Hannah's chest with many thoughts running through her at once. Miranda sniffed in Hannah's scent, catching a familiar aroma of vanilla that she knew very well thinking _'she smells just like mother. Must be how all mothers smell like.'_ Hannah spoke up in a calm manner, one that she had developed from raising two children of her own, "Miranda, I know it's not perfect. There are lots of people living here. John and Jane can be loud at times. School life might be, as our children put it, dull if you're as smart as them to. However if you want, you are more than welcome to stay here. You can call this place your home. Where we will look after and care for you…but only if that is what you want…would you like to stay? We have a room already set up for you."

Miranda looked up at the photo of the Shepard family. All her life she had wanted nothing more than a family but because of her father, that dream was destroyed. Now she didn't have a mother in her life either. She had no one, but as she sat in Mrs. Shepard's lap, thinking to herself how much she reminded her of her own mother, Miranda looked at the photo imagining the possibilities of being part of a family. Finally she let go of Hannah, looked into her emerald eyes and said "I don't want to impose on you both…but if you will continue to have me…then I would be honored to stay." Joseph and Hannah looked at each other, smiling at one another. Hannah looked back at Miranda, and kissed her on her forehead before saying "Of course we will have you. Welcome to the family Miri. Is it okay if I call you that?" Miranda thought about it _'Miri. I like it'_ thinking to herself as she nodded while giving Hannah another hug.

After Joseph had went to the hotel where Miranda was staying at to collect her things, John and Jane returned home from their walk with Talitha. Their mother brought them both into the living room with Miranda, to discuss the new living arrangements. Both of the twins were initially shocked, that is, until Jane almost tackled Miranda into the couch screaming "YAY! I FINALLY HAVE A SIBLING I'VE ALWAYS WANTED!...No offense bro." John had a somewhat hurt expression while Hannah laughed at the scene. John recovered soon enough as he made his way over to Miranda and gave her a firm hug that she reciprocated. Quietly he whispered in her ear saying "Welcome to the family"; feeling overjoyed, she tightened her hold on John, replying "Thank you. I'm glad you're a part of it." Jane looked at the two sensing an opportunity to mess with them. "Oh Miranda, one other thing. Deep down, John is a developing pervert. So lock your door that way he doesn't try to sneak into your room at night and get into your bed." Both John and Miranda's eyes went wide as they let go of each other quickly. John started chasing while screaming at Jane, who was laughing while running, "I'm going to seriously hurt you Jane!" Hannah sighed, looked down at Miranda and said in an almost defeated tone "Welcome to the family Miri."

The weekend passed by in a blur for everyone at the Shepard home. Everyone was adjusting to the new but welcomed change. Hannah and Joseph went to the main colony to enroll Miranda in the school John and Jane attend. They felt that a change of pace from the home schooling she said she received from her tutors, to interacting with other students would be a good thing. Truth was Miranda had always been awkward around other people. Especially in overly large groups such as malls or tram stations. So when the weekend ended and the kids made their way to the school, Miranda was more than nervous on her first day. Nervous and at the same time excited. She hoped to be able to start fresh, maybe make actual friends and not people who got close to her for her father's money. The school uniform was another change she had to adjust to. It was a typical grey skirt with a buttoned up white shirt with a formal coat over it. John's attire was similar only he wore pants instead of the skirt obviously.

As they approached the school, Miranda felt her palms sweat a bit as she looked up at the large building with many other students older than her entering or simply killing time outside before heading in. John looked at her noticing the hesitation in her body movement. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at him. He smiled and nodded before saying, "It's okay Miranda. We'll be here with you the whole time." Miranda looked from John to Jane, who gave a thumbs up reinforcing what her brother had just told her. Miranda smiled at the two of them, grateful that they were standing there with her. Just then the bell sounded as classes were about to start. All the students started moving into the building with the Twins following as well. Miranda closed her eyes, took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, looked back up at the front doors, then took her first step into what she hoped would be an enjoyable school life.

 **2166 Mindoir – Shepard Home Three Years Later**

John was standing in a room. He didn't know what or where the room was. He had never been here before, that much he knew. Even though he didn't know what the room was, he was already guessing the purpose of it. All around, scattered everywhere were syringes containing a blue liquid, many different sized scalpels laid on medical trays. As if to complete the picture, there were men and women in lab coats surrounding a table with a bright light shining down over it. John couldn't see who or what was on the table as the group of doctors was thick. He continued to watch until a scream broke his trance. He stared in disbelief as he recognized the scream. It belonged to Miranda. As he made his way forward to the table, he could see Miranda strapped down by her arms, wrist, chest, legs, even her head. She looked to be in so much pain, it hurt John to see her like this.

After what felt like hours, a well-dressed man stepped in to observe the doctors. He walked over to the table where the syringes with the blue liquid were sitting on. John noticed that Miranda had seen the man also, and had begun to cry. The man walked back over to her, however he was alone now. John looked around to see it was just the three of them in the room. The man though didn't seem bothered by it as he moved the syringe to Miranda's left arm. She was starting to whimper and plead for him to stop, "Please father, I don't want to do this anymore…it hurts every time." John looked at the man, shocked at the fact that it was Miranda's father thinking _'Father?! Her father has been doing this to her?! What the hell for?!'_ Her father looked at his daughter. There was no love in his eyes, no remorse for what he was doing. John saw that the girl laying on the table was not a daughter to him, but an object.

Finally Miranda's father spoke in a cold calculating way, "This isn't for you my dear. It's for the future of the human race. You will lead them into a glorious evolution when I am gone. You will be my legacy, to show that my contribution will not be forgotten for ages to come." As he finished speaking, Miranda's father stuck the needle into her arm and injected the strange substance. As he did this, John observed the man the entire time. He couldn't believe what the man, Miranda's father, was doing as he put his own flesh and blood through this. He was smiling. John could feel the burning sensation that Miranda was feeling course through him as well, _'Oh god! What the hell was in that?! Is this a memory of hers?!'_ John didn't think about it long as the pain he was feeling intensified. It hurt to the point that he didn't hear Miranda screaming at the top of her lungs, her voice cracking. After what felt like an eternity in hell, everything at last turned black.

John's eyes opened wide as he heard screaming coming from down the hall. ' _Miranda?!_ ' he thought as he got out of bed in nothing but his briefs. He ran down the hall to Miranda's door. It was wide open already and he could hear her screaming " **NO! GET AWAY! DON'T TOUCH ME YOU MONSTER!** " When John stepped in front of the doorway to the room, he saw his parents trying to calm Miranda down but she was thrashing so violently, trying to throw them off her. Out of the corner of his peripheral vision, he saw Jane step into the hall way in her night gown. She looked at him, saying in a barely audible tone "It's getting worse." John looked at his sister, nodded slowly, then made his way into Miranda's room to help his parents. When John reached Miranda, he put a hand on his father's shoulder firmly, saying "Excuse me dad. Let me try." Joseph and Hannah stepped aside as they had done very often during times like this. Once his parents had released her, Miranda went into a fettle position, wrapping her arms around herself with her knees close to her. John looked at his parents, "I can take care of her. You guys can go back to sleep." Hannah and Joseph looked at each other, then simply nodded. His mother stepped to him, giving him a kiss on his forehead before saying "Alright son. Goodnight and take good care of her." Joseph simply tussled John's hair, which needed to be cut very soon before saying goodnight as well.

As they closed the door, John returned his attention back to Miranda. She was shivering and crying still while remaining in the same fettle position from earlier. John made his way into her bed, pulling the sheets over their waist. As he positioned himself next to her, he caught a whiff of her scent. _'How does she always smell like lavender?'_ he wondered as he tried to calm himself down. Being a preteen and next to a beautiful girl did not help any. However John managed to position his arm under her head to support it, while wrapping his other arm just below her developing breast. He could feel Miranda shake in his arms and felt the tears still streaming from her eyes as they hit his skin. Soon all his thoughts disappeared as John just wanted to help her. He pulled her closer to him and whispered to her in a calming tone "It's alright. You're safe now. He won't hurt you here." John tightened his hold on her, this time Miranda grabbing his hand and bringing it closer to her face with his forearm in between her breasts. John could feel the blush coming to his cheeks and felt his entire body heat up. _'Ooohhh boy. This isn't good'_ thinking to himself as he felt the blood rush to a certain area that did not need to be woken up, especially in this situation. If Miranda noticed she didn't say anything as she squeezed his hand whispering "please don't leave me John." The thought never even accrued to John, so he was confused why the thought ran through her mind. He just squeezed her hand in return and said "Never. I'll always be here for you." As he finished speaking, John could feel Miranda start to calm down, no longer shaking or crying. She simply laid there in his arms peacefully. He sighed as he realized she went back to sleep, thinking _'Good. She should be fine now…I hope. I guess I better get some sleep to…yeah that's going to be hard…stupid puberty'._

 **2166 Shepard Home – Morning**

The morning came with the sun starting to creep over the horizon. Miranda could hear Joseph getting into the sky car to head for work. She didn't have to worry about getting out of bed as it was currently summer break. ' _Hmm, why do I feel so warm? Also what down there could be poking me?_ ' she thought as last night's events came rushing back to her. That's when she realized that she was holding John's hand in the same position they had went to sleep in. Miranda moved her hips once more trying to figure out what was poking her as John made a grunting sound. Her eyes went as wide as saucers when it clicked what it was that she was currently feeling down by her lower region. _'Oh my god…that's him poking me…_ _ **it can do that?!**_ _'_ she thought as Miranda could feel a massive blush come over her face. She knew about the male and female anatomy, but it was never explained on how the mechanics of it all worked. However as she lay there in John's arms with his morning erection poking her, Miranda had a pretty good idea how it all worked now. As if to add salt in the wound of an embarrassing situation for herself, she felt John start to stir. He removed his hand from hers; only to place it on one of her breast. Miranda tried to turn her head as much as she could to see his face _'…is he groping me while he's_ _ **ASLEEP?!'**_ She almost squealed as she turned back around to his hand which squeezed her gently as if to answer her mental question. _'Oh god how did I wind up in this situation? I don't want to be rude and wake him. Especially after what he did for me last night…_ _ **BUT I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO BE FONDLED BY HIM WHILE HE'S ASLEEP!'**_ she thought while John proceeded to squeeze again with a bit more firmness. _**'THAT'S IT!'**_ she thought as she smacked his hand away. John wasn't a heavy sleeper, so when Miranda smacked his hand he bolted upright and stared at the red spot currently forming on his hand, giving Miranda room to move to the other side of the bed while using the sheets to cover her chest with.

John looked at his hand trying to figure out why there was a red hand mark on it when he looked at Miranda who was covering her chest and glaring at him with a less than amused expression. He looked at her wondering why she was covering herself up, then looked back at his hand, and once more looked at her chest. When the light bulb finally flashed in his head, he felt his face turn a very different color he imagined was the same color as apples as he babbled an apology out. Miranda shook her head slowly as she said "You really have no shame do you?" As John tried to speak up the door opened up to Jane already dressed in a pair of stretchy pants and a work out tank top screaming "Hey you two are you going…" She stopped talking as Jane looked at the scene before her. She saw her brother with his arms stretched out to Miranda who was covering herself up with the blanket. Many thoughts of disappointment ran through her mind as she turned to her brother and said "…You're a pervert. See Miranda, I warned you this might happen when you first got here." John once again turned red as he stood up to try and explain what happened but was cut off as Jane noticed a particular part of him that shouldn't be standing up " **WHOA! PUT THAT AWAY!** "

John looked down and tried to cover himself up with his hands. Multiple thoughts ran through the room as John tried to cover himself thinking _'What the hell did I do to deserve this?'_ Jane had turned around and started walking out of the room thinking _'It is way too early for this.'_ Miranda looked at John's erection and couldn't help but blush and turn away thinking _'Is it normal for it to be that size? Is he going to get bigger in the future?'_ Jane finally said out loud "Alright, I'm done. I'll be waiting for you guys down stairs when you're read to work out." With that last sentence, Jane had walked off leaving a flustered John and a now shy Miranda in the room. Miranda finally cleared her throat saying "John, can you please leave the room so I could get changed?" She looked once more to where his hands were covering before turning her eyes away. John simply nodded and proceed out of her room closing the door behind him. When he made his way past the stairs he saw Jane look up him from below with her arms crossed, and slowly shaking her head as if disappointed as she said "I thought you were better than that perv."

 **Shepard Home - Afternoon**

The rest of the day had gone by in a very awkward fashion for John and Miranda. Every time they bumped into each other it proceeded in this fashion and order: Miranda and John physically bump into each other, both stare at each one another, Miranda quickly looks down wondering if a simple physical contact such as that would make it stand up, John notices the glance downward Miranda makes and feels his cheeks burn from blushing. Miranda sees the blush, realizing what she did and proceeds to blush as well. Both walk in different directions while Jane slowly shakes her head at the display between the two thinking _'Perverts'_. Lunch was not any better. Talitha was invited over and had spent the better part of the day with them. So that meant that Jane obviously told her what happened this morning with Miranda sitting right there as she herself trying to explain better. Unconsciously however, Talitha said out loud what she had been thinking for a while now, "So Miranda how big was it?" earning looks from both of the girls, as if they couldn't believe they just heard that. Talitha realized what she just asked and cleared her throat to keep the subject moving. Jane and Miranda shared a look as if they already knew why Talitha had asked that.

Like most girls in their school, Talitha had a crush on John. He was by far the most handsome in their school, so naturally he tended to be the center of attraction for the girls as Jane and Miranda were for the boys being the most beautiful out of the girls in their school. So both of them decided to have a little fun at Talitha's expense. Miranda spoke up saying "He's quite large actually. Although I don't think he is done *clears throat* growing yet." Talitha perked up looking at Miranda. She grabbed her hands and yanked her closer to herself, earning a squeal from Miranda and an astonished look from Jane before asking "You don't? How big do you think he'll get? What shape was it? Did it make you curious at all?" Jane raised her eyebrow while looking at her best friend, "Talitha, why are you so curious about my brother's…stuff?" Talitha quickly let go of Miranda and tried to compose herself. Jane was smiling as Talitha babbled about not being curious just trying to figure out male anatomy. Miranda couldn't contain it any longer as she soon started laughing causing the other girls to laugh as well.

Jane looked up and said "Speak of the devil, hey bro!" All eyes were on him now as he walked up to greet them. As he stood there saying high to his sister and Miranda, he also noticed Talitha staring at him. More specifically, his groin area. The girls also noticed as well as Jane smacked her friend on the backside of her head. Talitha let out a 'yelp' as John was confused on why she was staring. That is until he realized that Miranda and Jane told her about what happened in the morning. "Oh for crying out loud! You told her?" John asked looking at Miranda who shrugged her shoulders and pointed to his sister. Jane looked at John with a shameless expression and an innocent tone when she spoke "Hey at least I didn't mention you groped Miranda." Both John and Miranda turned to Jane to yell at her when Talitha looked up and starting ranting questions "What?! How was it?! Did it feel nice?!" She was practically sitting on the edge of her seat asking questions and waiting for responses.

"Oh my god," Miranda said as she covered her breast with her arms while John continued to glare at Jane who was laughing again. As John continued to glare at his sister, Miranda surprising everyone when she started answering Talitha's questions "It was interesting to say the least. He has surprisingly gentle yet strong hands…and yes it also felt kind of nice." This caused everyone to stare at her now as Miranda realized what SHE had just said. "I should go," John said as he walked away with his eyes almost popping out of his head in surprise at what he just heard. However as John walked away, he heard Talitha ask "So do you think his butt is going to firm out? Because I think that would be so hot." As he blushed some more Miranda replied "I hope so," while Jane finished it up by saying " **Oh my god!** Stop perving on my brother **PERVERTS!"**

 **Shepard Home - Evening**

Finally it was time for dinner. Hannah had spent part of the afternoon getting food prepared. Tonight they were having a family favorite, Shepherd's pie. This time though she got Jane and Miranda to help her that way they too would be able to cook this one day for their own families. Hannah did notice an odd vibe coming from all of the kids to include Talitha. _'I wonder what happened today'_ she thought as they started setting up the table. Her husband was outside mowing the yard while her son was also outside chopping fire wood with no shirts on for some reason. Joseph had always said the best time to do any form of outdoor chore was in the morning or in the afternoon when the sun was at its lowest. Not having shirts on when doing it just felt right he said to her once. She didn't understand the difference but she loved her husband anyway so Hannah simply went along with it. As she stared out the window she noticed Talitha as well…ogling her son with her eyes.

Hannah had to smile at the girl's bravado to be doing that so openly in front of her. ' _John really should put a shirt on. It's distracting not just Talitha but others as well_ ' she thought as Hannah noticed out of the corner of her eye that Miranda as well was peeking glances at her son, however a little more discreetly. Hannah had to admit that her children, to include Miranda, were growing up to be quite the beautiful people. John was developing more muscle mass from his morning workouts with Jane and Miranda. Not only that but he was growing in height to. Pretty soon he'd be as tall as his father, and he was roughly 6'3". He still didn't have a whole lot of facial hair but it was starting to develop. As for the girls, both were putting on more muscle, however opposite of John, they were toning out instead of bulking up. Hannah saw that Jane and Miranda were beyond beautiful, though if she had to guess, Miranda would fill out more than Jane. Not only that both were technically women now, having started their menstrual cycles. Unfortunately for everyone else, they synced up at the same time and made John's life hell for the week they were on. As Hannah and the rest of the family found out, two biotics, both equally powerful, can be a force to be reckoned with when on their time of the month.

As the girls finished setting up the plates and bringing the food to the table, Hannah stepped outside to let the boys know that dinner was ready. As Joseph and John went to wash up for dinner, Hannah had the girls go wash their hands as well. Once everyone was seated, and grace was said, they all dug in to the mass of food the girls had helped prepare. That was when she noticed the awkwardness around the children. Normally the kids are talking, or at least trying to without earning Miranda's wrath on mannerism. However today was different. They were all quiet, and exchanging quick glances towards each other. John and Miranda in particular were doing this quite often. Finally deciding to speak up, Hannah asked "So how was your day kids? Miranda were you feeling better this morning?" Jane answered in an unusual way just before Miranda could say anything though, "Oh she was feeling something alright." This had the desired affect Jane was apparently looking for as John started choking on his food while Miranda turned bright red as a tomato.

Both Joseph and Hannah stared at the two with Joseph patting on John's back trying to help him with his food. As John started drinking to help with the food his father said to him "Breath son. It couldn't have been that bad. It's not like they saw anything embarrassing right?" This time it was Talitha who spoke up saying "Oh I wish I could have seen it", then she looked towards Miranda sighing then said "You're so lucky Miranda". Once more John started choking on what was in his mouth while Miranda turned even redder than before. Hannah stared at her son and Miranda's reaction thinking _'What the hell happened to cause this reaction from the two of them?_ ' Finally she decided to ask, "Okay. So what did happen this morning?" John was still recovering from almost suffocating twice, so all he could do was flail his arms like a lunatic while trying to say "nothing". Miranda's usual demeanor was nowhere to be seen as she babbled and cursed from not explaining herself properly. It reminded Hannah of someone with Tourette syndrome. Finally Hannah decide that she wasn't going to find out what happened so she simply finished her dinner like everyone else.

The after diner routine started up as usual with the kids cleaning up the dishes. Then afterwards they walked Talitha back to her home. When they returned, everyone took turns using the shower. Thankfully the house's water heater was large enough to accommodate for the people who lived in the home so there were no issues. However, when it came time for everyone to go to bed was when the air between Miranda and John got awkward. It started when Joseph and Hannah had brought the two of them into the living room to talk. Jane wasn't in the house having decided to spend the night at Talitha's home with the permission of her parents of course. So for tonight it was just the four of them. Joseph was the first to speak, "Miranda, we've notice you have been getting nightmares more often recently. Enough so that we're worried about your wellbeing." Miranda looked at the two adults. She knew this would come up, especially when it effects everyone around in the household. Mentally she had prepared for this but now that they were openly talking about her issues, Miranda found herself becoming flustered on the inside. Other than Joseph and Hannah already being informed by her mother, not once has she actually mentioned the circumstances for which she was doing here on Mindoir by herself. Not even John, the person whom she trusted most out of everyone, knew of the experiments her father had performed on her. _'Hmm maybe I should tell him. It might be good for me to start talking about it…just not now'_. Bringing her out of her thoughts, Hannah brought the conversation to a startling turn, "Miranda, we were wondering, that is if it helps you sleep better, if you would be okay to change the sleeping arrangements?" Miranda looked at the two adults confused, "What do you mean? How would we change it?" she asked. She noticed John had a confused look as well, to not only his mother's earlier question but to also why he was involved in a conversation that seemed to be only for her. Hannah and Joseph shared a passing glance between themselves before answering, "Miranda, once again if you're up to it, we would like you to share a room with John?"

John had been drinking a bottle of water when his mother asked Miranda a very ludicrous question. He got maybe half a gulp down before it was sent flying back out, the end result was him choking and coughing up water. As this happened he couldn't help but think _'God damn it! I can't catch a break today!'_ He looked over to his mother to see if he heard her right; needless to say there was no amusement on her face, just still the same concerned motherly look she had since before they started talking. _'Holy crap! Is she seriously asking this?!'_ John thought as his father was staring at him now. Joseph simply smiled. That smile was all the reassurance he needed to know that both of his parents were serious about this, he just couldn't figure out why. "I'm sorry but are you joking or are you actually being genuine about me and him sharing a bed?" Miranda said as she pointed to him and then herself. John couldn't help but feel a little put out by the gesture ' _Wow. Well I guess she is strongly opposed to the idea._ ' Miranda continued talking and once more rattled his brain in saying, "not that I don't mind, but if we started sharing a bed, I'd feel like I'm overstepping my bounds in agreeing to a selfish decision."

John looked at her for a long minute, trying to gauge if she was genuine or not. From her tone of voice, he could tell she was but what stumped John was why. John was brought out of his thoughts as his father looked over to him to ask, "John, this affects you just as much as it would affect Miranda. What do you think?" As he looked at his father and mother, he noticed out of his peripheral that Miranda was staring at him as well. _'Oh come on Miri, please stop staring at me. You're making me nervous for crying out loud'_ John thought as he tried to word out his response without offending anyone. Or making himself sound like a perverted teenager, "I umm…I don't mind but…are you guys really sure? I mean…you're not worried at all?" he asked. Hannah looked at looked at him. His mother's eyes told him all he needed to know. If she was speaking what she thought, she would be saying _'If you force yourself onto her in any way, you will suffer…slowly'_. He couldn't help but shrink into himself under his mother's gaze. Finally he decided to look at Miranda. During the entire conversation, he kept his focus on his parents; not once did he look at her directly. As their eyes met however, John didn't see any form of hesitation from her at all. In fact, if he had to guess, she looked hopeful. After all, every time Miranda had a nightmare it was because of John that she slept soundly.

"John, your father and I have discussed this quite often. Since you helped Miranda through the first night in fact. We came to the conclusion that the pros far outweigh the cons. What's more is that we trust you both. We know that you're responsible and won't do anything that you aren't ready for" Hannah said. Joseph finished the conversation by saying "John, we as parents want what's best for our children. Miranda, we both think of you like a daughter. These nightmares you have been having concern us. However it is when you two are together that they stop and you both sleep peacefully." Both Hannah and Joseph look to their son before Hannah spoke up, "Yes John. We say both after we noticed that when Miranda has a nightmare, you seem to have one to. Last night before we checked on Miranda we checked on you. John you were mumbling and thrashing in your sleep. Almost as much as Miranda in fact. We want to see you both at peace the way you normally are; that is when you are together. Heck, one night when your father and I checked on you two, your biotics were active and looked to be protecting one another."

That made John and Miranda both perk up. Not once has anyone told them that their biotics did that in their sleep. Hannah looked at them before saying, "You both share something special. Something that most people don't have, not even us. That's why we know everything will work out. Now if you'll excuse us, Joseph and I have a long day tomorrow so we'll be heading to bed. Goodnight to both of you." Joseph and Hannah both stood up, and started walking out of the living room, leaving Miranda and John in a rather uncomfortable and awkward moment. Miranda looked at John trying to gauge him. She let her eyes wonder over him, studying his features. As they made their way up his body towards his face, Miranda saw that he had been doing the same thing. Both quickly turned away from embarrassment at being caught checking the other out. Finally John broke the silence in what could be called a shy tone of voice, "Miri…I don't mind…sharing a bed with…you. That is unless you don't either!" Miranda looked at John unable to speak. She wanted to say it was okay, that she really didn't mind and rather felt safe in his arms. However her voice wouldn't form the words or say what she felt. So Miranda simply nodded.

He was confused at her response or lack of. A nod could mean many things, especially considering their current circumstances so John decided to be more specific and just ask "Does that mean you want to share a bed?" Miranda once again couldn't voice her reply or anything. She simply just nodded her reply. John was a bit grateful that it was night time and the lights were dimmed, otherwise Miranda would have noticed the massive blush on his cheeks. As he stared at her, he said "…oh…okay. So then…do you want to head to bed now?" Miranda looked away. She felt that if she continued to stare at him her ability to speak would vanish. It seemed that not having eye contact helped some as she replied "Umm…yes. That will be fine…" Slowly they both stood up and made their way to Miranda's bed room. Her room was the most logical being it had the biggest bed between the both of them. So they made their way up the stairs, down the hall, and stopped in front of an open door. Neither understood why they were so nervous.

It wasn't like they hadn't slept in the same room, much less the same bed. ' _This is different though…and hell this morning didn't help either_ ' John thought as he stared at the bed then glanced at Miranda. She herself was having similar thoughts about this morning's event at that moment, ' _oh come on Miranda! It's just sleeping in the same bed. It's not like you're going to have sex with him…oh god why did_ _ **THAT**_ _part of him have to do_ _ **THAT**_ _this morning!..._ _ **IS IT GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN?!**_ ' Miranda shot John a questioning look before looking down at said part. John noticed the movement Miranda made. As he glanced at her, he started to feel uncomfortable. VERY uncomfortable as he saw what Miranda's eyes were looking towards. However things slowly spiraled downwards there as his gaze fell lower to her chest. He remembered from last night the feeling he got from his arm between her breasts. A few thoughts were racing through his mind that he couldn't control anymore ' _well…they did feel soft…and…squishy? Is that right? I guess. What the hell are you asking yourself for?! Hers were the first you've ever felt!...I wonder if they'll get bigger…that's normal right?_ ' Miranda glanced up to see John staring at her as well. Although what he was staring at made her very self-conscious about her current attire.

Miranda got hot at night. So to sleep comfortably she had gotten used to wearing tight fitting string tank tops with very short shorts that left very little to the imagination. However at nights like this were the summer heat seeped into the house, Miranda would wear an oversized shirt that went down to her thighs. With only her underwear underneath. John, on the other hand, was wearing a sleeve less shirt and shorts. However, from last night's experience, Miranda had learned that he slept in his underwear at night. She looked away from John and once more her thoughts were running wild, 'wait…IS HE GOING TO BE IN HIS UNDERWEAR ALL NIGHT?! OH GOD I DON'T THINK I CAN DO THIS!' When she turned back to ask him about how they would sleep, John was gone. Her face scrunched in from confusion as Miranda started looking around the room for him, even going as far as to check under the bed. **THUMP.** Miranda looked up from under her bed to see what that noise was. It was John. To add on that he was setting up a small futon. She asked "John? What are you doing?" John looked up from his task, replying "I will sleep on this tonight. I can tell that you're feeling a bit uncomfortable from the new situation so I thought I would try and alleviate that by sleeping on this" he patted the futon as if to make his point. Miranda's features softened as she felt a warm feeling coming from her chest. She couldn't believe that he would go through the trouble to make sure she wasn't put in a position that would make her feel awkward or overwhelmed. The futon John was setting up was one that she initially used when first moving into the Shepard home. To say it was one of the worst sleeping arrangements she could imagine would be an understatement. The futon itself was older now so the frame was wearing down, not to mention the "mattress" that was as thin as cardboard and felt like cardboard as well.

She couldn't help but feel loved by the effort he was putting into this and couldn't help but smile, "John, thank you…that's a very sweet gesture and more than what I was expecting. Although as sweet as that gesture is, please don't sleep on that uncomfortable piece of crap." John laughed at her description of the "piece of crap". He couldn't help himself but laugh when she used vulgar language. He found it adorable, seeing something normally rude and harsh being mouthed by someone generally reserved and sweet. Except on those rare occasions where she made him fear for his life. Jane as well sometimes. Just to be sure he asked "Where would you like me to sleep then Miri?" Miranda steeling her resolve slowly walked towards John, and wrapped her arms around him. John wasn't prepared for that form of gesture. Nor was he prepared when Miranda helped take his shirt off, as well as his shorts. All he had on now was his briefs. It did not help that he was starting to feel a serious attraction to Miranda at the moment. Miranda looked down at John's nether region, feeling flushed at how aroused he was. However, "I'm sorry John. I know what I just did was a little over the top. I'd be lying to say if I myself wasn't feeling a bit…excited. However right now though I'm not ready for that step. I'm sorry if that disappoints you. But I need time. Okay?"

John looked at himself through Miranda's irises. Ever since Miranda had started living with them, John had always felt connected to her. Whenever they were separated, but in the general area together, he still felt as if she was right next to him. It certainly made hide and seek easier when they were younger. As time passed John and Miranda had gotten closer than just friends, although they never acted on it. Until Miranda started having the nightmares however. When they started, Miranda would wake up screaming, flailing, and trying to throw off anybody next to her. It wasn't until John had stayed next to her one night as she fell asleep that Miranda had a full night's sleep without the nightmares plaguing her. If it wasn't obvious to his family and friends how close they were to each other, then that was surprising. So now here they stood, John half naked and Miranda in clothing that might as well leave her naked with how little there was. As John continued to look into her eyes, he said "Miranda, I understand perfectly. Yes I am attracted to you; No I will never force myself on you; I will wait as long as you need. You know that I care about you. I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy." Miranda couldn't hold back the sigh of relief she had been holding, as she breathed out. She also couldn't contain the couple of tears her eyes released. Miranda said "Thank you John…Let's get to bed. It's been a long day." As Miranda walked to one side of the bed, typically her side, John made his way along the opposite side. After pulling back the covers and adjusting the pillows, both John and Miranda slid underneath the blankets.

As they lay in bed staring at the ceiling, neither knew what to do, "So…now what?" John asked as he continued to stare at the ceiling. "I guess we go to sleep..." Miranda replied as she tossed and turned to make herself comfortable. John couldn't help but notice Miranda's discomfort. John himself was having issues getting situated. Finally both parties managed to find their comfort zone as they laid on their sides. Soon enough though things got awkward as their comfort zone had them nose to nose from each other. Both mentally thanked god that the room was dark, that way the other couldn't see the blush creeping over their faces. Neither knew what else to do, they just stared at each other. _'For heaven's sake Miranda, you've already helped undress him. Might as well get as close to him as you can…he does smell nice after all_ ' Miranda thought as she forced her body to inch closer to John. John himself was doing the same, until finally their bodies were touching. John could feel his heart thumping against chest rapidly as he brought his arm over her to place it around Miranda's lower back. Miranda let out a small gasp as he pulled her closer. She could feel his heartbeat. It matched her own fast paced heart as if they were in sync. Miranda let out a sigh as she thought ' _To hell with it'_ as she let herself go to the moment, snuggling her head underneath his chin while wrapping her arms around him. John could feel himself calming down, wanting nothing more than to just lay next to the beautiful girl who he cared for. Surprisingly, Miranda had fallen asleep rather quickly. As John looked down to see her face as best he could, he couldn't help but give her a kiss on the forehead before whispering "Goodnight Miri."


	5. Shared Memories

Mass Effect: Hearts of Many through Time

 **A/N: Hey everybody! Back to writing! Sorry that it took a good minute for this…but hey here's another chapter. Word Count: IT'S OVER TEN THOUSAND! I wanted to do something more with the past lives so I figured what the heck. If you want to know more on the chapter, please read through to the author's notes below. Enjoy.**

Chapter 5: Shared Memories

 **2169 Mindoir – Fall Semester Thanksgiving Break – The Waterfall – Afternoon**

John was on his way out of the house. Fall had come to Mindoir. For as long as he could remember in his 16 year life span, he loved the season of fall. The air was cold with the sun out to provide its warmth. He looked up as the trees swayed with the cold air. As he got closer to his destination he could hear the sound of water, as well as a new sound. This new sound was faint due to the rushing waterfall, but as John moved closer to the cave entrance behind the rushing water, the faint sound grew to echo throughout the cave. John felt the sound was familiar as he tried to place it, ' _is that…a piano?_ ' His question was answered with the playing of more notes reverberating off the cave wall towards the entrance.

John's curiosity finally peaked as he made his way through the cave entrance towards the piano playing. As he moved further in he started hearing Miranda's voice as well as Jane's once the music stopped, "Not bad Jane. One thing I did notice was some of the notes towards the end of the chorus fell off." His sister immediately added to the criticism "Yeah I noticed that as well. Sorry about that. My piano skills are not what they used to be. I'll get it back though. Also one thing Miranda, during the chorus it sounded like you had trouble staying in tune." Neither Miranda nor Jane noticed John standing in the middle of the main cave entrance observing the scene before him.

Something he did noticed was that both of the girls had their back to him. Over the years John had become notorious at pulling pranks against his sister and the girl he was currently falling for. So when he saw that both were completely oblivious to him, a devious idea crossed his mind. Quietly he made his way to grab a bucket sitting under the table near the cave's "kitchen area". Moving silently, John made his way back to the cave entrance to collect very cold water from the waterfall. Once his first task was complete, he made his way back to where the girls were standing. Jane and Miranda were so engrossed in their task that they still didn't notice John using his biotics to move the bucket over their heads. Finally Miranda looked up to see John. When she saw him, Miranda gave him a broad smile that almost made him not want to drop the bucket. Almost.

Miranda's smile fell off as both she and Jane noticed he was biotically charged. She asked "John. What are you doing?" John simply gave them both a shrug of his shoulders and smiled. He decided to stop with the suspense as he made a tipping motion with his hands. Both Jane and Miranda had a very curios looks on their faces. That was until they both felt the very, very cold chill of the water hitting the top of their heads and spread down their necks to their backs.

Both of the girls let out a loud cry of surprise as John started laughing at the reaction he received. Both Miranda and Jane had shocked expressions on their faces as they both breathed heavily. Then simultaneously the girls turned their gazes towards John with murder written in their irises. John continued laughing while Miranda slowly made her way to John, stopping just in front of him. What he saw when he opened his eyes made him stop laughing and genuinely fear for his life.

Miranda stood before him, she herself biotically charged. Her face was blank but if looks could kill, then John would have already been set on fire and turned to ash. Still Miranda said nothing. She only used her biotics to lift John off the floor. Continuing to exert control over the lift field around John, Miranda made her way towards the main cave entrance, stopping short of the front. John helplessly floated next to her while his sister followed a few steps behind them. Miranda turned John to face her then stepped so that they were almost nose to nose.

John was still fearful for his wellbeing. So he wasn't expecting for Miranda to give a full smile then leaned up to give him a kiss on his cheek. He felt his entire being soften as Miranda stepped down. She gazed at him with a caring look and said "Enjoy". And with a flick of her wrist, John was sent flying through the waterfall and into the pond just outside. Before John went through the waterfall, he could hear Jane laugh at his suffering while Miranda wore a broad smile, had one arm crossed under her breast and the other just waved at him.

 **In route to the Hangout – Evening**

Jane walked down the sidewalk with John and Miranda walking with arms interlocked at her side. Both of the girls still didn't like the events from earlier regarding the bucket, but both did forgive him after John's own dunk in the pond. It certainly made for a great story for this evening. Jane felt a little self-conscious about the outfit she was wearing granted it was hidden by a long ankle length, black trench coat. Jane wasn't one for fancy wear but this evening was special for both her and Miranda who wore a similar coat as well.

As they kept walking John asked Miranda and her "So what are you guys doing for the main event?" Miranda kept quiet with a smirk while Jane answered "It's a surprise. One I think you'll like. Especially from that little minx in your arm there." Jane looked over to Miranda with a huge smile across her face as she asked "Isn't that right Miri?" Miranda's smirk turned into a smile with a slight blush as she looked at Jane. John gave Miranda a curious look as she just shrugged and giggled at his gaze. John was now even more curious at the gesture. The conversation was brought to a halt as Talitha met up with the trio just short of the Hangout. "Hey everyone! Jane, Miri. You guys ready for tonight?"

Miranda answered with all the confidence she felt in saying "Absolutely. Thank you again for the help with our attire Talitha. You never cease to amaze me with your talent." Talitha smiled brightly at the complement before asking "Did everything fit correctly for you two?" John looked between the two girls who simply nodded. Miranda did have some input "Yes but it feels a bit snug up top. Not sure how I should feel about that." Talitha frowned and stared at Miranda "Hmm, sorry Miri. It is hard to gauge the measurements. Especially when you're still growing." Miranda simply held up a hand saying "It's perfectly alright Talitha. Honestly I'm glad the rest fits perfectly and it is quite lovely." Both of the girls shared a hug with Jane receiving one as well. John just continued to be confused and stare.

 **Mindoir – The Hangout – 15 Minutes Later**

As the group approached the Hangout, they were met with the buzz of a small fair. Tonight the Hangout had been transformed by the high school students as well as some of the middle school. The students were all excited for tonight's main event: a colony talent show. Every year the school's talent show brought the attention of the main colony, so naturally most of the parents of the students as well as some random people were there to watch this event. Being a small colony, events like these proved to be a wonderful stress relief for most of the colonist who worked their asses off during the day. So naturally Hannah and Joseph Shepard were there.

"Did you see the kids arrive?" Hannah asked her husband who was sitting next to her on the make shift benches for the audience who would watch the main event. "Yes I did. It seems the girls are keeping their appearances secret until they take the stage. Also I think that secrecy is driving John up the wall." Joseph said with a smile on his face. Hannah had to smile at her son's need to find out what Miranda and Jane were hiding, "Yeah he gets that curiosity from me," she looked over to her husband and said "but it looks like the secret keeping in Jane comes from you." Joseph shrugs at the comment saying "Sorry dear. AIBO training seems to pass through the generations."

John looked around the area trying to find his parents while Miranda also searched. Jane had wandered off to the back of the stage with Talitha to prep. Miranda spotted the parents first, "John, there. Towards the top in the middle bleacher." John spotted where Miranda was pointing, smiled then turned back to her "Alright Miri, I'm going to head up to meet them." John quickly gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek receiving one from her as well as he said "Good luck tonight. I'm sure you'll knock them dead." Miranda still felt herself blush every time they showed each other affection, especially out in public. "Thank you John," she said as Miranda turned to join Jane backstage.

Backstage, Jane was sitting next to the Talitha to wait her turn to go on stage with Miranda. Both girls stood up when they saw her walking towards them with a small smile on her face. Jane could only guess why she was smiling but surmised it had something to do with her perverted brother, "You seem rather happy Miri? Did John do something to lift up your spirits?" Miranda turned her head to the side to avoid Jane's gaze while wearing the same small smile on her face, "You're brother is just being nice Jane." Talitha spoke up in an amused tone, "Oh come on Miranda! You and John are perfect for each other. Heck most of the girls in our class and a few grades above/below us have the hots for him. They just don't approach him for two reasons. 1: they all think the two of you look great together. Like pieces of a puzzle. 2: they're scared that if you found out that anyone of them hit on him…you'd turn them inside out."

Jane and Miranda both laughed at the reasons. That quickly died down when Miranda stopped laughing, tilted her head to the side and said "Well…that's not entirely false actually." Jane and Talitha looked at Miranda trying to gauge if she was serious or not. Jane had to ask "Umm…which part…exactly?" Miranda just smiled and shrugged. All three turned their attention to the general direction of the stage where the coordinator of the talent show addressed the gathered crowd. "Ladies and Gentleman thank you for coming to tonight's main event. The Mindoir Colony High School is proud to present the 10th Annual Talent Show!" The crowd erupted into cheers loud enough that it shook the stage. "Sounds like they want a good show" Talitha said as she eyed the two, "So when are you guys scheduled to go on stage?" Both of the girls sighed heavily saying "Last".

 **The Hangout – One Hour and Thirty Minutes Later**

John had been sitting patiently with his parents waiting for the girls to come on stage. He had to admit that this year's talent show featured quite a few outstanding performances. Every act was different from people dancing, playing instruments, and laying on a bed of nails. The crowd loved it. John however was waiting for one act to make the stage. As the support staff started moving a piano on stage, he guessed that the act he wanted to see was coming on next. "Ladies and Gentlemen once more thank you for joining us for this event. We have one final act for the night, and I am very sure all you students know who these two girls are. But allow me to introduce Miss Jane Shepard and Miss Miranda Lawson."

The crowd let out another applause as Jane made her way out onto the stage. What she was wearing shocked everyone, especially John's parents. Everyone at school knew Jane was a beautiful girl, but tonight showed just how much so. Jane's hair flowed just above her shoulders as she walked on stage wearing a long red spaghetti strapped dress that v cut at her chest to allow a small amount of cleavage but was covered by a gold necklace with a pendant that fell between her modest sized breast. The dress itself was form fitting, so everyone could see her developing figure almost down to her toned abs. The front of the dress went down to her mid thighs with a slit on both sides of her thighs to allow Jane an easier time to walk. The only sound to be heard was Jane walking in white strapped high heels. No one in the audience said a word. They were too captivated by the girl who looked like she could be on fire. Red was certainly Jane's color.

"Good evening everyone. Thank you all for staying until our act," as Jane spoke some of the crowd found their voice enough to laugh at her sense of humor, "My friend is a bit shy. Please try to make her feel welcomed. Also please hold all comments about her attire until after we're done. Thank you and enjoy as she sings for you all." Once more the crowd applauded and cheered. A lot of the male students even whistled at Jane. They really loved her outfit. Again the crowd died down. Nothing could be heard except for the sound of heels striking the stage. John joined in the crowd with their reaction as everyone gasped at how the shy girl looked.

Miranda walked onto the stage with her hair draped over her right shoulder. She too was wearing a dress however unlike Jane's, Miranda's dress had no straps. Her dress was white, silky, and was supported by her ample bosom. Like Jane's, Miranda's dress hugged her body, especially extenuating her hips as it reached that area of her body. Unlike Jane's dress however, Miranda's fell to sway by her thighs and barely fan outward. The length itself was down to her feet hiding her heels, so the dress actually dragged an inch of fabric behind her. Her creamy skin and raven black hair seemed to glisten in the spot light. When she turned to face the crowd, she was wearing a diamond pendant that seemed to make her crystal blue eyes shine brighter. No one said anything. John sure as hell didn't say anything, let alone breathed. He was too shocked at how gorgeous Miranda was. The only word he could describe her with was not doing her justice in his opinion: perfect.

Miranda stepped up to the microphone, "As Jane said earlier, thank you all for coming. I'm going to sing a song that my mother actually used to sing to me. It's very personal to me and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do." Miranda took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She turned to Jane nodding her head letting her know she was about to start. Miranda turned back to the microphone, closed her eyes, and started to sing:

" _Win dain a lotica,_

 _En val tu ri,_

 _Si lo ta,_

 _Fin dein a loluca,_

 _En dragu a sei lain,_

 _Vi fa-ru les shutai am,_

 _En riga-lint."_

John only had one thought running through his head _'…she sounds like an angel…this song…it sounds familiar'_. He closed his eyes trying to remember where he heard this song before:

" _Win chent a lotica,_

 _En val turi,_

 _Silota,_

 _Fin dein a loluca,_

 _Si katigura neuver,_

 _Floreria for chesti,_

 _Si entina,"_

As John listened to Miranda sing he opened his eyes to continue watching. However Miranda was nowhere to be seen, and the setting was entirely different. Everything was gone. There were no bleachers, no stage, and no crowd. John was surrounded by hedges lined with white roses. The moon was out and full, casting its radiant light over the darkened landscape off in the distance. He looked down to see he was wearing what looked like armor and a knight's cape draped over his back, as well as feeling the helmet on his head. He was standing on a stone path leading to somewhere that John did not have the slightest clue. But he did hear something coming from the path laid before him. John decided to make his way towards the sound that could only be described as singing:

" _Lalala... Fontina Blu Cent,_

 _De cravi esca letisimo,_

 _Lalala... De quantian,_

 _La finde reve,"_

The singing continued as John turned the corner to see a beautiful woman resembling Miranda if she was older. "Miranda?" John called out. The woman didn't answer, she just continued singing. John kept walking towards the beautiful woman dressed in a fancy royal garb with what looked like a white overflowing, silky piece of cloth. He was too captivated by her singing to pay attention to anything else. He didn't even noticed that he was holding his breath. Finally the woman who looked like Miranda met his gaze, smiled and continued singing:

" _Win dain a lotica,_

 _En vai tu ri,_

 _Si lo ta,_

 _Fin dein a loluca,_

 _En dragu a sei lain,_

John stopped in front of the woman who resembled Miranda. He thought if this was Miranda, then she was gorgeous beyond imagination. Almost too beautiful to be real. He reached his hand out to touch her, to prove to himself that she was not a figment of his imagination. As he brought his hand up, Miranda brought hers up. Both placed their hands together, their palms touching flat against each other's. No words were spoken, not when their gazes met, and not when the white cloth waved in the midnight breeze. Miranda said nothing; she only smiled and sang the final verse of her song:

 _Vi fa-ru les shutai am,_

 _En riga-lint,"_

John closed his eyes. He opened them to see Miranda standing in front of him though not the one from a moment ago. She was gone, and the Miranda standing in front of him was the one he knew and had grown to care for. As John stared at her, he compared the similarities between what he saw and what he was seeing now. In front of him was his Miranda, wearing an exact smile to match the one from the dream. Not only that, Miranda was currently charged with her biotics taking shape into the same flowing cloth waving behind her. The Miranda he saw moments ago in the dream was an exact match to the one standing in front of him now. As if to complete the picture, he saw that their hands were joined in the same position just like from his dream, as he chose to call it. ' _No, not a dream…I get it now…I think they're memories,_ ' he thought.

Miranda blinked, and her aura faded. She was confused. One moment she was singing to the crowd, then the next, she noticed that John was starting to glow white with his biotics. Then after that, she was standing in a garden singing, with John standing in front of her with his hand reached out. She remembered joining her hand with his, but now she was back at the talent show. Except she had her hand joined with his as well while his biotic aura faded, _'what happened? That was too real to be a simple dream. It felt familiar to. Like I was there physically.'_ She turned her gaze away from John to look at the crowd. Each and every one of them had the same shocked expression on their faces. No one spoke, moved, or even breathed from the looks of it. What they had just witnessed was one of the most incredible things they've seen.

Nothing could be heard, that was until somewhere in the crowd, one of the audience members, started clapping their hands. This was followed by another person clapping, then another. Pretty soon the crowd were on their feet cheering thunderously for the performance shown to them, thinking that's what it was. A performance. John and Miranda let go of each other. Miranda turned to make her way back up on stage to join Jane, who was already standing at the front of the stage waiting for her. Once back on stage, Miranda stood next to Jane. The crowd still applauding for the final act as both of the girls bowed. Again the crowd cheered, although if John had to guess some of the male students were cheering about the view they currently were seeing on stage. He felt the heat over his cheeks as he himself saw down Miranda's dress, _'wow…umm…wow'_.

Miranda stood back up to meet John's gaze. His mouth was opened as he continued to stare at her. John's gaze was starting to make her feel shy about her dress, _'…wait'_ she thought as she looked down to her breasts. It clicked in her head that as she bowed, John more than likely had an unobstructed view of her cleavage. She brought her gaze up towards John, shaking her head with a glare that could pierce through steel. She saw it had the desired effect as John sort of recoiled into himself as she thought _'I'm going to get you for that later'_.

 **Sometime Later that Evening**

" **OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT!"** could be heard through the crowd as John ran making zig zags trying to lose his pursuer. "COME ON MIRANDA! HE DIDN'T DO IT ON PURPOSE! (I think)" Jane shouted as she ran behind the heated raven brunette. Many of the students in the crowd tried to unsuccessfully get out of her way while others dived for cover fearing for their lives from said brunette. Those unfortunate enough to be caught in the raven brunette's, also known as Miranda, way were quite literally mowed down. **"HE KNOWS HOW I FEEL ABOUT HIM STARING IN PUBLIC!"** Miranda shouted as she ran faster to catch up to John.

As John turned his head to check the distance between him and what could be called Death at the moment, he managed to run right into Billy and Fred. All three of the boys fell to the ground hard enough so as to knock the wind out of all three of them. "Shepard?! What the fuck is the matter with you?!" Billy yelled when he saw who had tackled him. John tried to explain why he was running, but unfortunately for him the brief collapse was all the time Miranda needed for her to catch John in a lift field, and be sent to the large fountain sitting in the middle of the fair.

John could only think _'I just said I liked the way the dress looked'_. His landing wasn't graceful either but thankfully it didn't leave him with any bruises. People around were cringing and laughing at his expense. Especially the students, most of them knowing full well the wrath that a beautiful, slim 16 year old girl could unleash when pissed off. Also for them, the antics between the Twins and Lawson were pretty well known and widely entertaining. Most days Miranda acted like a scolding mother to the Twins for which the students were very grateful. Around John, Miranda was both caring and easy to approach, but there were those days, such as today, were John was on the receiving end of Miranda's rage. During those days everyone tries to hide, lest they to be devoured under Miranda's warpath.

Jane walked up to Miranda placing an arm around her shoulder, "Was that really necessary Miri?" Miranda continued to stare in the direction of where she threw John and shrugged "Not really. I did it mostly for last night. John tossed around a bit last night and smacked me across my side. It's still kind of tender." Jane couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and look down at the mentioned spot. Soon enough she laughed "Alright maybe he did deserve that. Come on let's go fish him out and head home".

 **2170 Mindoir - Spring Semester – Shepard Home – Evening**

Everyone sat around the dining room table to include Talitha (she practically lived at the Shepard home). Despite this, no one said anything. It didn't help that there was an awkwardness going on between a certain two young people. This was enforced by the change in seating tonight, both sat on opposite sides of each other darting away from their usual position of sitting next to each other. It certainly made everyone uncomfortable to be around them.

Hannah looked at the scene before her thinking ' _Something is wrong. They're both quiet and sitting apart…it's…concerning'_. Hannah saw everyone else around their table making quick glances towards the awkward duo. Hannah turned to Jane trying to gauge what had happened between John and Miranda. Jane, trying not to be noticed by Miranda and her brother, held up two fingers, pointed to her watch, and mouthed "ago". Hannah tilted her head at that shrugging and mouthed "what happened?" Her daughter once more mouthed something that definitely had Hannah concerned, "fight".

 **2 hours Earlier – Shepard Home**

"Hey tomorrow we're having a mass school physical. More than likely there are going to be shots as well." Miranda perked up at Jane's mention of shots. She has never gotten over her distaste of needles, nor will she ever fully rid herself of those childhood scars. Yet despite this, John and Jane still did not know about her past. Miranda did not want to dump her family issues on to them. "Are…are they really doing shots tomorrow?" she said with her nervousness very apparent. Jane turned to her, "yeah. Why? You scared of needles?" Miranda gave a small forced laugh at Jane's question, "No, not at all. Just haven't had too much pleasant experiences with needles and doctors in the past that's all." John noticed her mention of the past and couldn't help but force the subject "Hey Miri, speaking of the past, you've never actually mentioned your childhood."

Miranda could tell where this conversation was going and started feeling very anxious to be somewhere else. "No John I haven't mentioned it. I'd prefer not to either." Both John and Jane shared a quick glance trying to gauge Miranda's almost hostile response. John continued "Hold on Miri, don't you think we have a right to know something at least. I mean we've been living together for the past 7 years now. Doesn't that mean anything?" Miranda stood up, "John please. Stop pressuring me with this. You don't need to know and you have no rights to my past." John however was still just as curious about the subject and also starting to get a little frustrated at Miranda's attitude, "What do you mean I don't need to know? Don't you trust me?"

Jane placed a hand on her brother's shoulder trying to calm him down but he just shrugged her off, "No Jane I'm serious. Don't you think we should at least no something? I mean it's not like we can ask her pa…" He was cut off midsentence by Miranda, "John. Don't. You. Dare. Trust me when I…" This time it was John's turn to interrupt, "Trust?! Miranda I have always given you my trust but I have to be honest when you say we don't need to know anything about you, it is rather insulting." Things were getting heated between the two of them. Jane was starting to get rather uncomfortable with this argument.

"John you can be insulted all you want but leave my parents out of this" Miranda said, her facial features getting more hostile by the minute. John however stood his ground, "Why? It's not like you're close to them…and if what I saw in those dreams all those years ago is true, then your dad is a bastard that deserves to die. It also looks like your mother…" **SLAP**. It happened so fast. Jane almost couldn't believe it if she hadn't just seen it. Miranda just slapped her brother with a very hateful look on her face. Her next words were like ice and held no form of affection for him, "I'm only here because my mother sent me here. I regret she made that choice for me. As much as I regret it, that doesn't give you the right to try and belittle her. You don't know me John so don't act like you do or know what you're talking about." With that Miranda strode off leaving a stunned John and Jane.

 **Present Time**

Everyone finished with dinner and went their separate ways. Jane and Talitha began playing cards in the living room while Hannah and Miranda washed up the remnants of dinner. John had went outside to sit on the porch bench. He didn't slouch or lean in his seat. In fact it was quite the opposite, he sat up straight with both his hands on both his laps. John sat like he was in front of a military review board. This was a habit of his however, one he did when he was stressed or, as some people would say, stumped.

This tick of his did not go unnoticed by everyone in the house. Hannah peeked out the window to John then noticed Miranda glance at him, and just as quickly turned to walk into the other room. ' _Oh boy. First real fight. They are going to need help_ ' she thought as made her way to find her husband. Finally locating him in his study room she spoke up "Joseph. First fight. They need help." Joseph didn't need to be told twice or even ask questions on who she was referring to. Especially after the awkward dinner he just endured. He stood up "I'll go talk to John", Hannah nodded at her husband, "Thank you. I'll go see Miranda. First I'll go get the other girls into Jane's room."

Miranda noticed Jane and Talitha head upstairs to after Hannah had stopped to talk to them, _'I wonder what that's about'_. She also noticed Joseph outside with John and the two of them walking off, "Miranda. Can I talk to you for a moment?" Miranda turned around to Hannah's voice. She was sitting where Jane and Talitha sat. Not wanting to be rude to the woman whom she consider like a second mother to her, Miranda made her way to the living room. Just as she entered she caught a glimpse of Jane and Talitha peeking around the corner from upstairs before darting out of sight.

Miranda sat down next to Hannah, already suspecting what this would be about. "So Miranda, what's on your mind?" Hannah asked, "Or more importantly, what did he do?" Miranda sighed thinking _'Damn she's smart. Is there nothing that gets past her? What are you saying, of course there isn't! She's a mother. All mothers are telepathic for some odd reason'_. She looked at Hannah trying how to best word that she slapped her son, and damn near called him an idiot. Miranda chose to be blunt seeing as that was the best way to explain it, "Earlier today, John and I got into an argument. I didn't like how he acted and the subject was about something I didn't want to talk about. However he kept pushing and eventually I slapped him. Very hard as well." Hannah widened her eyes and raised her eyebrows at what she just heard. "You slapped him?! What in god's name were you two discussing for you to hit him?"

Miranda started getting a bit more fidgety. She's never really hit anyone on purpose, "I'm sorry. I know it's a bit…extreme. I just reacted." Hannah picked up on her avoidance of the question she was asked "Miranda, if I'm going to be able to help I need to know everything." Miranda once more felt pressured, just like earlier; and just like earlier she stood up getting more heated than she should have, "I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR HELP! YOU'RE NOT MY MO…" She stopped herself before saying that last word although that didn't mean Hannah did not pick up on it.

Hannah looked down, when she spoke her tone was of understanding and realization, "Your mother…I see now. Miranda, yes I'm aware I'm not your mother. No one can replace her, and I know you miss her deeply." Hannah looked up making eye contact with Miranda, "But I also know John might not have deserved the slap. It can't be helped that he's curious. He gets the curiousness from me and his father. He doesn't know about what you went through. Nor about the twisted things your father did to you."

Miranda barely whispered, "What do you know about that?" Hannah stood up continuing to look at her before saying, "Your mother told us…I am so sorry Miranda." Miranda looked down bringing her arms under her breasts to hug herself, "I…I don't know what you're talking about". Hannah knew this was a defense she was trying to put up; Hannah could see right through her as she stepped closer, "…You deserved better than what your father did to you. Your mother tried to give you better, that's why she asked us to look after you. We agreed…because we, like your mother, knew you needed a shot at a normal life."

Miranda closed her eyes and said nothing at first. She didn't know what to say. Didn't know how to talk to the woman who had acted like a mother to her. But then the words started flowing, "I'm sorry. For yelling at you…I miss her. So much…it's hard not knowing. Not knowing if she's dead or alive. I don't talk about my past to John or Jane because I'm worried what they'll think. This is a normal life but I'm not exactly a normal girl" she started pacing the living room, becoming more animated as she spoke. "For fucking sake, mother told me that father altered a few of the strands on my genome. What kind of man does that and continues to put someone through sick, twisted experiments and syringes filled with god knows what that feels like napalm under your skin?! All for the sake of humanity?! MY FATHER DID ALL THAT TO ME! ALL FOR HIS SELFISH AMBITION! **ME! HIS OWN DAUGHTER!** "

By now Miranda was red from anger, her fist glowed with biotic energy as she paced the living room floor. Hannah just stood there and listened. This was something that had been kept bottled up for almost a decade now. This needed to be vented, otherwise Miranda wouldn't be able to move forward as a person. So Hannah remained fixed where she stood and listened as Miranda continued talking, "How could he do that?" Miranda was done pacing. She sat down bringing her knees to her chest to hug them, "...that's not what fathers do…and because of him I'm…I don't deserve normalcy because I myself am not normal. Everything about me is a lie: my looks, the education, the biotics." Miranda could feel her eyes starting to water but continued none the less. "Everything. I don't want John to know. What if he saw me as just a thing? Something to be used like my father did?" Miranda looked up to face Hannah, "I can't take that. I was already crushed once. I'm afraid it'll happen twice if he knows."

Hannah looked at her, saying nothing. She went to sit down next to Miranda who was still hugging her knees but held her gaze. Hannah felt that only one thing was appropriate for this situation. With a quick swipe of her hand, an audible SMACK was heard as Hannah slapped the top of Miranda's forehead earning an "OWW!" Before Miranda could say anything, Hannah held her hand up so that she could speak, "That was for being dumb. Miranda, when have you ever known my son to see you as a tool or anything else in a negative view?" Miranda was about to name an instant where he did but none came to mind. It was entirely true. John only ever looked her way with respect, admiration, and affection. "I know my son. He is young, yes. But he cares about you for you. There is no way John would see you as anything else. You are Miranda Lawson, a beautiful girl on the outside and on the inside. All of us know it. All of us see it. John most of all sees it. His opinion of you will not change if you simply tell him the truth."

Miranda listened to her. However deep down she still didn't really believe it. It was an unknown situation, one she didn't think she would find herself in. But here she was talking about her issues with Mrs. Shepard. Still, her self-doubt was eating away at her, ' _Am I ready to open up to him?...Probably not_ '. She turned her head away from Hannah no longer being able to look her in the eye. From the corner of the living room door she saw Jane and Talitha, "What do you two think?" Hannah raised an eyebrow wondering who she was referring to, when she looked back to see Jane and Talitha standing at the doorway. Jane gave her mother a sheepish smile knowing that she'd get scolded later for eavesdropping on the conversation.

Talitha spoke up first, "I think you should talk to him. Maybe slap him one more time but give him a kiss afterwards to make up. All boys shut up after that." Jane chuckled a bit at Miranda's blush and her mother's eye roll. "Or do what my mother suggested and tell him. My brother is understanding and he will do anything for you anyway. I bet he'll even try to apologize first before you. He's a nice person after all. It's why you fell in love with him right?" Jane said earning an appreciative smile from her mother. Everyone looked at Miranda now. She was still frustrated and worried but figured that the only course left in front of her was to simply talk to John.

 **Meanwhile…**

John walked with his father down the road. The night was a bit cold but John didn't feel it. He was too deep in thought to worry about the weather. His father didn't say anything knowing that John needed time to think; it was something he appreciated. All John could think about was Miranda's last words after she had slapped him. It hurt him to hear that she really regretted coming to live with them. He thought he had done everything he could to help make his home feel like it could be hers as well. He was sure his family felt the same way, ' _So what did I do wrong? Would she be happier if she wasn't here?_ ' Joseph cleared his throat before speaking "Kind of cold tonight huh son?"

John looked at his dad, "Yeah. A bit. So what did you want to talk about dad?" John was never one to beat around the bush. "Straight to the point as usual…I wanted to ask if you and Miranda were alright. It's obvious something is going on." Self-consciously John rubbed the spot where Miranda had slapped him, "We're doing okay. I mean it's not like me and her are dating so we're doing about as well as two friends would do." Joseph cocked his head at his son's reply, "Wait you're still not official yet?" It was John's turn to look confused, "Why would we be official? We're friends. That's all. Besides it's not like I really know her to be in a relationship with her anyway." Joseph looked up at the full moon. It was very bright tonight with no clouds in sight, "That's too bad son. Truth be told, I had actually hoped that you two were together. You're perfect for each other. You're mother thinks so to."

John had to laugh at that. His mother was always thinking about future marriages and stuff. Never learned to ease up on the fantasy, "Yeah well…I don't think it's going to happen. She's probably better off if she lived somewhere else." Joseph looked at his son, "You know that's not true. At least here she has your mother and me. There's Jane and Talitha. Most of all there's you. I'm pretty sure she'd go nuts if you weren't around." John shook his head as they continued to walk, "Doubtful. More likely she'd celebrate to be away from me". Joseph laughed, "Please son. Remember when you caught the flu? She stayed at your side the entire time nursing you. She practically kicked your mother out of the room to take care of you." John smiled, ' _Yes. I remember that. Best sickness I ever got in my opinion'_.

His smile fell when he thought back to earlier in the day, "True but she regrets coming here. She even told me so. Said that I didn't know her". Joseph paid more attention now trying to find out what happened during the day, "she also didn't like how I described her parents. Or really was going to describe them. Miranda slapped me after I mentioned anything about her mother." Joseph sighed at his son's ignorance although he couldn't blame him. John didn't know anything about Lillian however it was not his place to tell him, nor would he. That subject was for Miranda to share, only when she was ready though.

"Son, I'm not going to say you're wrong for asking. Nor am I going to say you were in the right. The only thing I will say is to be aware of the fact that Miranda's mother means so much more to her than you think. When everything else fell apart, her mother was the one thing that kept her from losing control over herself." John looked at his dad, listening to his every word. He really wondered now what happened to Miranda's mother and how his father sounded like he knew more than what he was telling. The only way he was going to find out was to ask her, "Dad, do you think if I asked Miranda about her mother, that she'd tell me?"

Joseph shrugged, "It couldn't hurt to ask son. Well…maybe it might hurt a little. Like me you have taste in beautiful and dangerous women. Although I suspect you won't have anything to worry about this time." The two of them stood there looking at the moon. It was magnificent as always in John's opinion, "Thanks dad. I think I'm ready." Joseph looked to his son, "You sure? I'll be honest with you, Miranda reminds me of your mother in a way. And truthfully your mother scares the shit out of me." John laughed at his father's honesty. He loved that about his father at how honest he was with him and Jane, "I'm sure dad. Come on. If I remember correctly mom said something about apple pie."

As they made their way back to the front porch, John was looking down staring at his feet trying to figure out what he was going to say to Miranda. Talking to her when under normal circumstances was easy. However tonight was not one such circumstance. He was nervous. He'd never really been in a fight with Miranda. Despite all the playful pranks and occasional annoyances they both pulled on each other, it never really got to this level. John didn't have time to think long as he made his way onto the first step, "John."

John turned his attention to Miranda's voice. He was so deep in thought that he didn't realize she was sitting on the porch's bench. His father continued walking saying "I'll let you two have some privacy". John silently thanked his dad for being considerate of the situation despite the feeling he got that he was being watched. More than likely though he probably was if Jane and Talitha were up to their usual spying.

Miranda thanked Joseph. She was already nervous about opening up to John, it didn't help that she saw Jane and Talitha peeking from the window. She even noticed Hannah peeking from the other window, ' _Oh god Mrs. Shepard. You to?_ ' Miranda looked down shaking her head a slowly, "Um…Miranda?" She looked up to John trying to compose herself, "Oh sorry…I…I wanted to apologize…for earlier". John was taken back by her apology so he replied with "uh. Umm. Uh. huh?" Miranda felt a little annoyed at his response but also found it rather adorable. She let a small smile escape. After all the topic she was about to bring up was not something anyone could smile at.

"John earlier…" He held up his hand stopping her, "No wait Miri. You apologized when you didn't have to. It wasn't your fault. It was mine." Miranda stood up to try and speak but John once more cut her off, "Hold on. Miri I shouldn't have pressured you. It was wrong of me. You're family history is your own and I had no right to impose myself on that." John had yet to properly look at Miranda and she was trying to get his attention. He however kept interrupting her. Miranda finally thought of one way to make John stop talking. Standing right in front of him she brought up her hand to copy the same action Hannah had performed on her. SMACK.

"Oww" John said as he rubbed his forehead at the spot where Miranda had slapped him. He felt something familiar as he rebounded from the slap, ' _Why did that feel like one of mom's_ 'stop being stupid' _hits?_ ' Miranda shrugged taking his hand to lead him to the bench to sit. Even as they sat, Miranda did not release her hold on his hand having him look at her. She took a deep breath trying to steel herself before talking, "John, what I'm going to tell you is not easy for me. It still holds many old wounds that have not fully healed. Please don't say anything until I'm done. All I ask is that you listen". John looked at her seeing the seriousness in her eyes. He only nodded his response.

So Miranda began her tale of her life with someone she was falling in love with as her audience. She started at the day they first met. For her, it felt like a lifetime ago. She was so young and innocent. But then her father asked her to be the subject of his work. If Miranda could go back in time to warn her younger self, she would. Nothing had prepared her for what her father would put her through. For years she was at the mercy of her father, with the only relief from it all was her mother. Miranda explained how much her mother did for her to make the ordeal easier. Trying her best to comfort her, to love and soothe her wounds. It was only cause of her mother that she was able to survive her father's experiments with her sanity intact.

John was listening to every word coming out of Miranda's mouth with his undivided attention. Once she started explaining the different experiments done to her, he couldn't face her gaze anymore. He knew he tightened his grip on her hand that she had continued to hold. It didn't get any better as she went to explain the day her mother took her to the shuttle port to make their escape. Nor when she told him that her mother had left to make sure that her father couldn't chase them. Her mother promised her that they'd meet again. However that was seven years ago. Miranda's eyes watered and voiced cracked at the possibility of her mother being dead, "John, I miss her so much. But not knowing if she's dead or not is worse. This will always be with me just as much as the things my father did to me. Earlier I was not able to open up about this. In my inability, I lashed out at you unnecessarily. I'm so sorry John."

John couldn't understand why Miranda was apologizing. She did nothing wrong in his opinion. What she had just told him, what she had endured at the hands of her father no less, would no doubt had destroyed his being if the roles were reverse. One thing he did know; he was angry. He wanted to kill her father. These thoughts were running through his head as his biotics started to charge up.

Miranda stood up quickly taking a step back from John. She was watching his biotics change from their normal white to a dark shade of red. If she had to describe the color it looked like fire and blood. Her gaze went from his biotics to his eyes. They were full with hate. Miranda was nervous, if not frightened by what she was seeing.

"…John?" Nothing. "John." Once more he didn't respond.

Miranda was starting to get scared, ' _this isn't like him. Biotics shouldn't change color. But both he and Jane are different. I haven't heard of white biotics from anyone, much less it change to red._ '

Miranda slowly walked in front of him. He was looking down completely inside himself or unaware of everything around him. She knelt down in front of him placing her hands on his cheeks. As if a switch went off, John looked up at her, his biotics dissipating.

"John, it's okay." Miranda spoke to him. John didn't know what just happened. For a moment his vision was red with very violent thoughts running around his brain. But now everything was calm again. His vision was clear, his senses were all normal. The touch of Miranda's soft hands on his cheeks were like a calming effect on his nerves. "I'm fine now. I'm sorry if I worried you" he said as John took her hands into his own. He stared into her eyes looking at himself. He loved her eyes. They could be fierce and cold when she wanted. At times like this however, they were soft and caring. "Miri, you don't need to be sorry. I know now why you didn't tell me what you went through. Truth is I never should have tried to force you into telling me. You didn't deserve that. But I'm glad you did." John's voice took on a hardened edge as he finished speaking, "One thing though; if I ever meet your father…I don't care whose around me or in my way. If I meet him, **I will kill him**." He looked down at her hands again, wondering what she might say.

He was serious that much Miranda knew. But she wasn't afraid of him; she saw that he wanted to protect her. That's all he has ever tried to do since she found herself in the Hangout without anyone. But then she had John. She loved him for that. Yes, she could honestly say that she was in love with him. However she was still nervous about voicing her feelings. Jane knew about her feelings for her brother, being like a sister to Miranda herself. Talitha as well being one of her closer friends. She suspected Mrs. Shepard knew as well. Hannah was very observant. Mother's intuition she thought coupled with her Alliance training.

Miranda wanted to show John that she appreciated his protectiveness. She couldn't stop herself as she stood up, pulling John with her. Once he was at his full height, she moved his hands placing them by the arch of her back and wrapping her arms around his neck. Being taller than she was, Miranda had to tip toe to fully wrap her arms around his neck. All the while performing this, Miranda never broke eye contact with John. She looked into him and he looked into her. She felt safe in his arms which made her next action easier. Miranda tightened her embrace around John's neck bringing his head closer. John responded in kind, tightening his grasp around her waist. Their noses were practically touching. Both could feel each other's breath as it escaped from their bodies.

John felt his blood rush through his body as he finally felt he and Miranda were going to kiss. Despite their closeness, spending almost all their time together, sharing of a bed, and such, John and Miranda had never actually had a proper kiss. It's been mostly kisses on the forehead or cheek. Tonight though he felt they were about to take a step forward in their developing relationship. However just as their lips were about to meet, **THUMP!** "OWW!"

Both Miranda and John turned their attention behind them towards the window. There, practically hanging halfway out of the window was Jane. Behind her was Talitha making a horrible attempt to hold onto Jane's shirt to keep her from fully falling out of the window. Behind Talitha, Mr. and Mrs. Shepard stood with open mouths also trying to help their daughter. The four stared at the two of them. John had a less than amused expression while Miranda put on her death glare casting it on all four of them.

Talitha reacted first holding her hands up saying "Sorry, we" was all she said as Jane fell forward out of the window screaming before she hit the ground. "OMPH! Oww…Talitha what the hell?!" Jane looked up at the two of them with a sheepish smile, "Hehe sorry about that. We'll get out of your hair now". She stood up and made her way onto the porch as the others ran off from the window. Not once did John or Miranda let up on the accusatory gazes that both shot at Jane, making her speed up to the door into the house.

Finally when Jane left, John let out a tired sigh as he looked down shaking his head. Before he could get a word out, Miranda cupped his cheeks with her hands and brought his lips to hers. She did not want to be interrupted again, lest they ruin the moment once more. John quickly recovered, wrapping his arms tighter around Miranda's lower back causing her to moan from the action. As before in the past, both of their biotics charged up. The display was a sight out of a fairy tale movie; dances of blue and white biotics swirling around the two as their lips continued to feel each other.

Finally, Miranda broke the connection, both of them panting for air. Miranda felt flush from the experience. It was more intense than she thought it would be. She was unable to voice her feelings however so she closed her eyes and placed her forehead on John's shoulder. She decided to put the thought to the back of her mind thinking, _'I love you John. Please don't ever leave me alone'_. John replied "I love you to Miri. I'll always stay by your side".

Miranda smiled at what he said. Then it clicked, _'Wait…John, you heard that?'_

Miranda looked up at John, her mouth was slightly open and her brows were furrowed in. John had a confused expression on his face before saying, "Of course I heard that, you just said it." Her eyes went wide as she voiced in her mind, _'John…I didn't say anything.'_

It was John's turn to look surprised as he thought _'Holy shit! You mean'_ Miranda let go of John just as his grip loosened. She blinked a few times to try to comprehend what was happening. She decided to test it by thinking _'John, think of something'_. John's dumb look continued as he voiced in his head _'What the hell am I supposed to think about?'_

Miranda was starting to smile _'John. We can hear each other's thoughts'_. He was confused at the new development, _'How? That shouldn't be possible. Even Asari can't do that.'_ Miranda shook her head but the smile didn't leave her face ' _I don't know but this is incredible. We should do more test. To see if there is a limit to what we can hear, limits to space between us, things like that._ ' John was nodding his head ' _Yeah. We can do that this summer then while Jane and Mom are gone, and while Dad is at work. Talitha won't be around much in the beginning of summer break so we should be alright._ '

Miranda's smile broadened as John's mood had reflected her own, prompting her to kiss him again catching him by surprise, _'It's a deal then. This summer, that will be our project._ ' She stopped kissing him and took his hand to go inside. As they stepped through the door hand-in-hand with smiles on their faces, they were met with Jane and Talitha rushing Miranda to drag her away leaving John standing at the door dumbfounded.

John could already hear the questions being thrown at Miranda, "What was it like? Was he a good kisser? Did he perversely try to touch you anywhere? **JANE!** " He looked over to the living room where his parents were reading different books. His mother had a wide smile on her face as she said, "Ah to be young". His father couldn't help but laugh.

 **2170 Earth – Australia – Lawson Estate**

Henry Lawson stood at his window in his private office overlooking the fountain and garden behind his home. He was frustrated. Today's results were less than promising. Both experiments yielded results that would cause future projects to fail, so he had dismissed this as a failure and decided to start over. Ever since his daughter had vanished, his experiments were turning out flawed. He just simply started over as he had done so often.

"All because of the blasted woman" he mumbled under his breath. Seven years. He thought seven years of searching would have yielded a location by now. But alas the galaxy is a big place. Lots of places to hide. Especially for people who know how. But his daughter was not one of those people. So for her to remain elusive was even more infuriating, ' _That little brat had the gall to agree to her mother's plan so readily. After everything I provided for her._ '

He never did forgive his wife for her betrayal. However he needed Miranda back if he was to continue his research on Subject 15. He was brought out of his thoughts as a knock on the door echoed through his enormous office. "Enter" he voiced with authority. His attendant, a tall, skinny man, entered "Mr. Lawson, I have good news as well as some interesting news." Henry Lawson turned towards his attendant, "…Well. Spit it out already! I have no time to waste on your incompetence if this is not what I want to hear!" The attendant flinched, fearful for his life, "Yes sir. We found her sir."

His eyes went wide then quickly a smile formed on his face, "Excellent. Where?" The attendant straightened up before speaking his report, "Yes sir. She is currently living on Mindoir sir. By the intelligence we have gathered, she is staying with a family of four. This is a current photo sir." The attendant held out a data pad with a current picture of Miranda Lawson on it. Henry Lawson smiled broadly "Yes. That is her. She resembles her mother quite well. Who are the family?"

The attendant continued with the report, "Sir, the family is the Shepard family. The boy on her right is named John William Shepard. The girl on her left is Jane Lynn Shepard. They're twin siblings sir. The father is named Joseph Shepard, occupation is a colony developer. No real documentation on his past employment. The mother is Hannah Shepard, she currently serves as the executive officer aboard the SSV EINSTEIN. However this summer she is scheduled to do a deployment run aboard the cruiser SSV WARSAW."

"Excellent. Have a team dispatched to retrieve her. Pick five of my best operatives." The attendant bowed saying "Yes sir. One more thing of note sir. We have been receiving scattered reports of slave gangs amassing. If our intelligence is correct, they aim to attack Mindoir within the planet's summer time frame sir." Henry Lawson turned to face the far side of his office to a darkened corner. "I see. This might actually be beneficial. Have the team attach themselves to the gangs. Once they make their push on the colony, the operatives are to retrieve her. Should the family get in the way, dispose of them. Is that understood?"

The attendant bowed once more saying "Yes sir." Henry Lawson began to make his way to the door before stopping to stare at the darkened corner, "Also, have the maids clean her up and presentable for when Miranda arrives." The attendant looked in the direction of Henry and bowed once more as Henry Lawson left.

The attendant motioned for two of the guards to accompany him to the darkened corner. As they drew closer, a figure started taking shape. The figure of a person cuffed to the wall. One of the guards drew a stun baton and touched the tip to the person's exposed stomach. The person let out a cry of anguish as electricity coursed through their body. The person, a woman slumped after the guard put the stun baton away. The woman did not have the energy to fight her captors. She simply let them remove her cuffs and drag her away. The woman tried to think, tried to use her words. Her mouth and throat were so dry that it hurt to talk.

But a whisper managed to be voiced so low the guards and attendant didn't hear her, "…Miranda…"

 **A/N: Thank you for reading. The song is called Sora. It's off of the animated movie soundtrack Escaflowne in case you were wondering. If you have any thoughts I'd love to hear them in the reviews. Thank you again for sticking with the story. Next chapter, shit get's serious!**


	6. Hearts of Monsters Pt 1

Mass Effect: Hearts of Many Through Time

 **A/N: Alright people. First and foremost, I apologize for the long delay between chapters. The conversations between John and Miranda will be different. If you remember last chapter, it had them being able to hear each other's thoughts. During conversations parts will be normal font while others will be italicized. Remember italicized is thoughts while normal is voice.**

 **Secondly, initially I was planning on making this chapter a long one. But right now I feel like an ass for waiting this long to publish between chapters. The first thing my wife told me was "HA! I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN! And you told me you wouldn't be one of those authors." Yes, dear, I'm that guy right now. Anyway I digress.**

 **Be warned that this chapter is going to get violent and I was trying to be detailed. Honestly some of the stuff I had to really pull out of my ass or look through movies and other forms of torture. People can be violent, and there is no shortage of atrocities in past records. Anyway here is part one of my new chapter. Enjoy.**

Chapter 6: Hearts of Monsters: Part One

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 03 June 2170 – Local Shuttle Port**

" _All passengers for shuttle 419, please proceed to terminal B. Scheduled departure estimation time 15 minutes._ " John looked around the busy terminal area. He stood with Miranda's arm looped around his right while Talitha stood to his left hugging his sister. His father was giving his mother one more goodbye kiss before she departed. His mother Hannah was scheduled for a combat tour during the summer break for two months. She had also opted to bring Jane along with her. It was her turn after all, he had gotten to go on the last tour with his mother aboard the EINSTEIN.

His sister finally let go of Talitha and made her way to give both he and Miranda a goodbye hug once more. "Now you two be good for Dad while I'm away. Also try to have fun" Jane said into their ears as they both reciprocated the hug. "We will Jane and you try to have fun as well" Miranda replied back. Jane pulled back from the two of them. Before she let go, a mischievous grin formed on her face as she lowered her voice and brought her hand up to whisper, in a loud enough tone for John to hear as well, to Miranda, "Remember, just because you two are exclusive now doesn't mean he can try and seduce you. You've got a hot body but John's an idiot. Don't be one of those loose girls for him just because he's pretty."

Jane savored the moment as both her brother and Miranda turned a bright shade of crimson. Miranda was still a bit bashful about those things around John and had started fidgeting with her hands. John on the other hand started yelling, "I'm not going to try and seduce her!" Passer goers shot him looks as they went by. Jane saw his already bright red face develop further into a darkened maroon color. She was loving this, "Oh come on I mean look at her. She's got the body of a sex goddess I mean even I have sneaked a couple of glances at her." Miranda and John looked mortified at what they just heard both shouting "JANE!"

Everyone else but John and Miranda started laughing while others around them thought they were an odd bunch. Fifteen minutes went by relatively fast and it was now time for both Hannah and Jane to leave. Jane wanted to stay with her friend Talitha, but she loved going on tours with her mother. It gave her a chance to brush up on her combative skills as well as keep her aim sharp. John was still the better shot over her but she vowed to surpass him. "Ready to go?" Jane looked up to her mother's face. She wore a small smile while looking at her with determination. "Absolutely" she replied mustering her determination as well.

Hannah gave a quick nod and started walking to the shuttle with Jane in tow. As they boarded, Jane looked out to see her family and her friend waving at them shouting safe travels and well-beings to her and her mother. She loved her family. A few thoughts ran through her mind such as what kind of trouble should could she get into while on the ship and who to mess with. Like her brother, Jane found pleasure in pranks.

The engines turned on making the shuttle vibrate, ' _I hope this summer turns out to be memorable for John and Miranda. Honestly it's about time they got off their asses and finally started being honest with themselves. This change is definitely a good thing for them_ ' Jane thought. However, as she would find out later, that not all changes are good. Sometimes, change can be for the worst.

 **2170 3 Hours Outside Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 0743 – SSV EINSTEIN Combat Information Center (CIC)**

CPT Hernandez was sitting in his Captain's chair with a bored expression. His assignment was to guard the colony of Mindoir from any vessel that would pose a threat. So for months now the SSV EINSTEIN, along with two frigate class Alliance ships, would drive away a pirate ship, destroy an overzealous one, or simply patrol their quadrant of space. However lately their patrols had turned up no contacts or any sign of gangs in the region. His crew were starting to show signs of complacency. Even he had to admit this was a crap assignment although he would not vocally admit it. At least not in front of his crewmen.

He was brought out of his thoughts when his communications specialist addressed him, "Captain, I'm having issues with the long range communications." Standing up and stretching his lower back from sitting in his uncomfortable military regulation seat, CPT Hernandez went over to his specialist "What seems to be the issue Mendez? Have we lost all comms or is it just the long range?" Specialist Mendez replied, "No Sir, just the long range is acting up. I can't reach Mindoir Local Outpost. We still have communications with our escorts, however both the BLISS and the BELLFAST are reporting the same issue." CPT Hernandez looked at the screen trying to weigh the different scenarios for this current development ' _It can't be a simple systems malfunction. Not with all three of the ships. That is impossible. Only a few things can do that and neither of those options are optimistic._ '

CPT Hernandez turned to walk back to his chair while giving new orders, "Mendez, contact the BLISS and the BELLFAST and tell them to sound general quarters." Everyone at their stations suddenly turned to their Captain with confusion, so CPT Hernandez elaborated, "Everyone, currently the long range sensors and communications are not responding to our pings. If it was just the EVEREST I wouldn't be worried. However, BLISS and BELLFAST are reporting the same thing. There are only so many reasons for this to happen and none of those reason are comforting. Therefore, I want everyone at their stations ready for anything." The crew all saluted and shouted "Yes Sir." CPT Hernandez pressed a button on his keypad by his chair for the intercom, "This is your Captain speaking, all hands general quarters, this is not a drill. I say again general quarters."

All over the ship men and women were running to the stations preparing for the worst case scenario as alarms blared and yellow lights flashed. Fighter ships were being fueled and prepped by engineers while their pilots suited up for space flight. Platoons of marines were dawning their armor, checking their weapons, and adjusting their shields for any firefight that may or may not occur. CPT Hernandez looked at his crewmen pleased that even after months of doing nothing, his crew were always prepared. He looked towards his pilot, "Helmsman, set a course for Mindoir. Specialist Mendez relay same destination point to BLISS and BELLFAST." Mendez replied with "Aye Sir" while the pilot voiced back over the intercom " _Planet Mindoir plotted, ETA three hours. Spinning up FTL drives for in-system travel in three, two, one._ "

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 0743 - Local Alliance Military Outpost**

Billy was standing in front of a set of pull up bars outside of the outpost barracks. He was currently observing the local Alliance QRF (Quick Reaction Force) conduct their morning physical training. His father was currently leading a squad of troops in a session of push-ups, sit-ups, and other assorted muscular endurance exercises. Billy always looked up to his father and hoped to one day join the Alliance Military. He looked to his left towards the main colony.

The Alliance QRF Outpost was no less than two and a half miles away from the outskirts of the colony. It was initialing developed this way to both act as a fortified position outside of the colony where civilians could seek shelter, and be set up to mount any form of counter offensive should the colony be seized by any hostile presence. In Billy's opinion, the outpost was too close to the colony. From his point of view, if an enemy wanted to take the colony then their first target would be the outpost. It could serve as a staging area to mount an assault on the colony. But that was not his opinion to voice since he was still a civilian.

Billy noticed his father talking to someone in full combat uniform talking rather animatedly. From his view he could see his father's face marred with fear. ' _I wonder what that is about_ ' Billy thought as this was the first time he actually saw his father like this. Soon he started shouting at the platoon of troops to get back to the barracks and gear up. Now Billy was concerned as he ran up to his father to ask what was happening. Before he could get a word in his father cut him off "Bill get back to the house and find your mother. Get her to the disaster shelters. I can't explain right now. Trust me and do as I say. Now go."

His father turned to leave with the already equipped marine, however before he left he overheard him say "How many ships?" the marine answered "the long range scanners picked up twelve ships before we lost the sensors. They'll be here in less than thirty minutes." Billy was confused, ' _Twelve ships? What does that mean? And why would military sensors be lost? Are they destroyed?_ ' Putting a hold on his thoughts Billy went to the vehicle he and his father drove to the outpost. Having recently received his driver's permit he started the engine and gunned the vehicle towards the colony. Was he nervous? Afraid even? He must be because the entire ride to his home his body would not stop shaking.

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 0803 – Shepard Home**

" _John. John! It's time to wake up!...Breakfast is ready!_ " At the mention of breakfast Miranda could hear thumping from upstairs. Miranda smiled to herself as she remembered what Hannah told her when she first started learning how to cook, "Girls my mother gave me a piece of advice. Honestly I didn't understand it since she told me this when I was ten. But she told me the fastest way to a man's heart, is through their stomach." Miranda laughed when she first heard this. Initially when her cooking classes with Mrs. Shepard first started, the rest of the family and Talitha could almost swear that every food item Miranda touched turned poisonous. John had agreed to try her cooking the first time. He felt that she could make good food if she really tried her hardest; unfortunately, some cases of hard work don't pay off the first time. Much to Miranda's wounded pride, over the next couple of days John had been on bed rest after suffering a serious case of food poisoning. In a few inner choice words, Miranda felt utterly guilty and shamed for putting the person she cared for most through that ordeal. Despite the situation, it spurred Miranda to really try her hardest on developing her cooking skills. Now she could say with pride that her food was delicious after making John a 'get well' soup. With Mrs. Shepard watching over her with the eyes of a hawk.

Looking back on the events of her life up until now, she could say beyond a shadow of doubt she was happy. The Shepards were wonderful people who accepted her without hesitation. She grew to love them like real family. Eventually she fell in love with John. He was a unique person who never judged her, and always encouraged her. He listened to her opinions and voiced his own in a similar fashion. He became her other half. At first she was terrified when she voiced these feelings to him. But her fear was unfounded when John told her how he felt the same way about her. So now here she was standing in the kitchen with an apron over her outfit (a v-cut shirt and a pair of form fitting jeans that accentuated the curves of her hips and long legs) setting the different breakfast items on a plate for John. Miranda internally laughed at herself for playing house with her boyfriend of only a month, ' _I'm nuts I just know it. But that's okay. He excepts me for me and that's all that matters_ '.

Miranda jumped and squealed a bit as she felt John's arms wrap around her from behind, having spaced out completely into her own thoughts that she didn't hear him approach her. "Morning", John said as he softly kissed the right side of her cheek. She couldn't help but lean into his embrace and placing her hands over his. Being in his arms made her feel safe from the outside world. "Good morning John" Miranda replied as she turned her head to meet John's lips with hers, "did you sleep okay?"

John nodded his head "Absolutely. Especially with you to hold at night." John never got tired of seeing his girlfriend's beautiful face. He was by far the luckiest teenager in his school to be dating the most gorgeous girl in the colony if not the galaxy. It wasn't just her physical appearance that he fell for, but her strong personality as well. She was the whole package. One that he was happy reciprocated his feelings for her. He turned to look at the meal Miranda had spent the morning cooking, "Wow that looks good!" John was always a sucker for breakfast and his girlfriend knew it having prepared eggs, bacon (or a Mindoir equivalent), ham (once again, Mindoir variety. John would never ask what animal on this planet was killed for this. Some were just too bizarre for his liking), toast, and some assorted local fruit.

John had a big smile on his face that was infectious for Miranda. She loved when he smiled. It always made her feel warm knowing that she helped with that, "Come on John let's bring this to the dining room table." John removed his hands to give a mock but rather crisp salute saying "Yes Ma'am". She couldn't help but laugh at his antics as the two carried their plates to the table placing them next to each other. John looked around noticing his father's absence, "Hey Miri, where's Dad? I thought he had the day off today?" Miranda sat down while answering his question, "Your dad was called in this morning. Apparently there was an issue with the long range communications that the staff on hand couldn't rectify. He was leaving just as I started making breakfast almost twenty minutes ago."

John sighed knowing his father worked too hard sometimes, "Of course they would call him. He needs to take a vacation one of these days" he said as he cut into his alien animal ham. Miranda finished chewing on a piece of fruit before saying, "As true as that may be, your father is like you in the sense you always have to be doing something. I get the impression that if your father did take time off, he would do what you're doing now." John cocked his head in confusion "What do you mean? I can sit down and relax if I wanted." Miranda scoffed while she smirked at his statement, "Please John the first day of summer you got so bored that you decided to build a miniature medieval catapult by the edge of the wood line. Using the tree next to it as your materials I might add."

He had to laugh at that. In hindsight that was a bad idea as he was halfway done chewing on his makeshift egg, alien bacon, and alien ham sandwich. Once he started laughing, he also starting choking and then coughing. Miranda had to pat him on the back while handing him something to drink. He looked at her wheezing out "Thank you…for that." She gave him an apologetic look before kissing his forehead making him blush a bit at her affection. He took hold of her hand, bringing it to kiss her knuckles. Miranda turned her head slightly to keep John from noticing the blush currently spreading over her cheeks. John looked at her with a smile over his lips, "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 0816 – Alliance QRF Outpost**

Joseph was currently making his way across the base towards the Headquarters building. He had been called earlier that morning on a day that he was supposed to have off having worked more than his weekly hours. He was currently on overtime pay at the moment so Joseph couldn't complain much. However, when he made his way through the front gates of the base, it became apparently clear that something was wrong. Men and women were all fully armed and equipped to fight off a non-existent enemy. In the distance he noticed the few MAKOs and gunships being prepped and ready for their operators. Joseph got the sense that he was not here to simply check a malfunctioned communications station.

As Joseph made his way into the outpost headquarters building, he met with the commanding officer of the base, Captain Hall. Joseph went to shake the man's hand which was met right away, "Joseph, thank you for arriving on such short notice. I understand today is your day off however something has happened that has us concerned." Joseph looked over to CPT Hall as they proceeded to the logistical room. Obviously something was up for CPT Hall to be nervous, "Not a problem Sam. What can I do or really what has you scared enough to call me on a day off?" Joseph felt that beating around the bush was redundant so he decided to openly ask what was wrong.

CPT Hall came to a stop by the radar station with Joseph standing next to him, "At around 0743 we lost contact with the patrol fleet. Then less than half an hour ago we lost our long range capabilities. Before the system went down our sensors noted twelve unknown vessels making their way into FTL. We couldn't identify if this unknown fleet is friendly or not but one thing we do know is they are heading for Mindoir. I'm concerned Joseph. Something about this does not scream friendly." Joseph was about to comment, however the someone else decided to answer for him, "Captain, unknown vessels have dropped out of FTL. Unknown contacts are multiplying. We're detecting multiple shuttles breaching the atmosphere." CPT Hall looked over to the Specialist giving the report, "Plot a projected course of potential hostiles and someone sound the alarm."

Joseph watched as the staff started running around preparing for a possible assault on their home. He looked over at the screen seeing projected points on where the unknown shuttles might target. The two targets that stuck out the most where the main colony and the outpost that he was currently in. ' _Of course this would be one of the targets predicted. Any idiot can see that. You don't need to be a rocket scientist, or in this case, in the damn military to see that_ ' Joseph thought. Suddenly the alarms around the base started sounding off as the screen showed multiple red icons appearing just outside the colony AND the base.

"Sir! Boogies inbound to the main colony! ETA three minutes! Second enemy force in route to this location Sir!" one of the staff shouted getting everyone's attention. CPT Hall continued to look at the screen, his face not showing the anxiety he was currently feeling. He felt that his troops needed to see him at his best and that was what he was going to give, "Get the men to their battle stations. Get the MAKOs and the gunships to defend the key locations in the colony." The staff saluted and went about their individual tasks. Outside men and women were running to man the base defenses. MAKOs and gunships were moving towards the city hall, the hospital, the school, and the park also known as the Hangout by the local kids. These key locations served as points for controlling the colony. Control these five points, to include the base, and any force whether it be enemy or friendly could have a secure foothold over the colony.

CPT Hall turned to Joseph who was standing there the whole time observing. Joseph spoke up first, "I'm off Sam. I need to get home to my son and possible future daughter in law." CPT Hall nodded then held out a hand for Joseph to shake which he gladly did, "Good luck Joseph. Go with god." Joseph thought himself as an agnostic, never one to embrace religion, but indeed open to the concept of it. "Good luck Sam." He let go of his hand and turned to jog towards his vehicle. He looked towards the direction of the colony. The sun was rising above the buildings of the colony. It always brought comfort to Joseph as it signaled the start of another day for the colony of Mindoir.

However today was not another day. Joseph picked up the pace to his truck all the while thinking ' _I hope this isn't the last sunrise the colony sees_ '.

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 0819 – The Hangout**

Summer was in full swing for the colony teenagers. The Hangout was bustling with young adults dancing, talking, laughing. None of them had a care in the world. None heard the alarms going off at the base three minutes ago. For those who did, it was dismissed as a drill. The Alliance outpost often ran drills to keep their troopers in shape and ready. However most of the time some of those marines would be down in the Hangout flirting with the older teenagers getting ready to graduate.

Fred was sitting on a bench by the fountain in the center of the park. He noticed several gunships flying overhead as well as the tanks known as MAKOs drive by. It looked to him that they were heading to different parts of the colony. ' _They're really going all out on this drill huh?_ ' he thought as another gunship flew by. Fred went back to observing the crowd. Everyone had smiles on their faces. But those smiles faded into confusion. Off in the distance, a low pop sound was made. He thought it sounded like an explosion from far away. The music seemed to stop after someone shouted "What is that?" when they spotted smoke in the direction of the first pop. Then there was a whistling sound. All the teenagers heard it and were trying to locate the source. The whistling grew louder. People in the crowd were starting to get distraught. Then Fred saw it. It looked like a silver rod coming towards the fountain.

Then it clicked in his head. He felt the blood rush from his face and his body chill at the sight of the object. "RRRUUUUNN!" he cried as he started moving from the fountain. Everything seemed to slow down for Fred. He could see the faces around him. Some confused by his sudden outburst. Others realizing the same thing he did.

 **BOOM!** The object proving to be a missile struck the fountain dead center. Fred was fortunate. He was already moving when the missile struck. The blast propelled him forward lifting him off the ground. He felt his body turn in the air and then suddenly stop as he hit a tree. Upon impact Fred felt his shoulder crunch underneath him. He landed on the ground with a thump. Fred couldn't see straight; his hearing was distorted by a ringing noise. He saw through his blurry vision people running. He could barely make out the audible screaming. As his vision cleared he saw the small crater the missile created. The fountain was gone; the people who were sitting around the fountain were gone; around there were others laying on the ground. Most had a blank look on their face. Some of the ones moving were holding either an arm or a leg. Or the lack of said appendage. Some were screaming in agony as the blast from the explosion set them ablaze.

Fred stood up on shaky legs. Everyone was running and screaming. Some were helping each other. Most were just leaving the injured to only care for themselves. More explosions could be heard throughout the colony. His hearing was back too normal however he could feel something hot running down the side of his head. Bringing a hand to the warming sensation, Fred moved it to look at. Blood. His blood. Once more whistling could be heard as another missile struck several yards away from him. He witnessed people be obliterated from the explosion. Others were just sent flying in the opposite directions of the blast. A few were fortunate enough to get up. Most weren't as lucky.

Fred looked up to see shuttles raining down over the colony. A few were coming down over the Hangout. As they descended one was struck towards the rear thrusters. The shuttle lost control, spiraling into another shuttle that happened to be too close to their doomed comrade. Both were now engulfed in flames as the shuttles crashed into trees and people. Those unfortunate enough to be underneath let out a cry that was quickly silenced as he saw their bodies being crushed by the burning metal. Fred looked to see the local Alliance forces moving to intercept the shuttles. A few had already landed and were spilling troops out.

Fred had never seen a Batarian before. He heard about them in the news and saw pictures of them over the extranet. However, that did little to quell the fear he got from seeing one for the first time. They looked similar to a human, except for the lack of hair on top of their head and the sharp teeth that were visible as it snarled. No not snarled. Laughed. The four eyes on the batarian looked over the carnage the two missiles had dealt. Then he started shooting. At nothing in particular. Just shooting at anyone that moved. Fred saw it gun down a girl in the back as she was running away. Then it pulled a grenade from its belt and threw it at a food stand two boys were hiding behind. The explosion sent shrapnel everywhere; the two boys were peppered with it as it cut through their bodies.

Fred looked on in horror as the batarian was joined by others of his race and a few humans as well. They moved to engage the Alliance troops that were attempting to drive them off. More shuttles landed. More of the Batarians and humans jumped off. One shuttle was destroyed as a rocket hit inside the shuttle as the doors opened, sending pieces of the shuttle and its crew everywhere.

Fred couldn't understand this. He was confused. Not at the violence. What he was confused about was every one of these men had some form of sadistic grin or smile on their face. It sent chills down his spine. He had to run. He needed to get away from this once peaceful park that was now a battle zone.

As Fred moved towards the Alliance troops, a hand grabbed his shoulder that was broken forcing him to cry out. The hand turned him around where he was met with an armored punch to his face. The force of the blow surprised him as he fell backwards. He could fill several of his teeth fly out as he spat up blood. Fred looked up at his attacker staring at him while talking to another. "Hmm pretty damaged. Wouldn't be worth much. Go ahead and finish it" one of the batarians said as the other pulled out a pistol.

Fred's eyes went wide as his attacker pointed his gun at him. He blinked. Too stunned to do anything else. **BANG!** Fred saw the flash. Then he saw darkness.

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 0819 – Talitha Before the Attack**

Talitha had been preparing dough at the bakery where she worked. Her thoughts were everywhere as she performed her task. Mundane things such as how her best friend was doing, what should she do after work, how were things with Miri and John. As she continued to work another MAKO went by the front of the shop. This was the third one this morning by her count, ' _Must be another base drill judging by the alarms going off earlier_ ' she thought.

She heard the back door to the office open and her boss start making his way to her, "Talitha, I need you to hold off on what you're doing. The restaurant down the road called asking if we could deliver bread to them. I need you to do this really quick then come back." Talitha looked at her boss while wiping her hands down with a rag before she replied "Yes sir." ' _No thank you once again. That man really needs to learn some form of proper treatment of his employees_ ' ran through her head as she grabbed the delivery order and proceeded her way out the front door.

When Talitha stepped outside, the first thing that caught her attention was the noise. The bakery was only a block away from the Hangout so she could hear the other teenagers having fun. "Must be fun" she said aloud looking in the direction of the Hangout. After taking a few steps towards the direction of the restaurant she noticed a pillar of smoke off in the distance. Then a new sound was making its way into her ears. This sound was like a whistle. For the life of her she couldn't place it. It was faint from the sound of the Hangout still going on however it was increasingly getting louder. Everything grew quiet around her. No music was playing; no teens were laughing.

Talitha looked around her doing a full circle turn trying to find the source of this sound. Finally dismissing the whistling as a random noise, maybe a firework or something similar, she continued to make her way to the restaurant. ' _I wonder what that whistling is? Must be some idiot from the school-'_ **BOOM!** Talitha's thoughts were interrupted as a deafening explosion was made around the area where the Hangout was. Talitha looked on as smoke and fire rose into the sky. As she looked up, Talitha could see shuttles flying everywhere as well as military grade gunships.

The bag she had been carrying fell out of her arms as she witnessed shuttles racing off in different directions with some landing further away, including the area where the Hangout was. **BOOM!** Another explosion was made as more smoke rose up from the park bringing her attention back to the area farther away from her. Talitha looked up to see a shuttle preparing to land, however an Alliance gun ship came up behind it. The gunship fired a missile at the unknown shuttle striking it towards the rear thrusters. After it struck, the shuttle erupted into a ball of fire as it fell from the sky.

Talitha brought her hands to her mouth as the ball of fire and metal crashed into the bakery she had been in only a few minutes ago, "Oh god" she whispered out. She could hear screaming as she saw her boss come running out flailing his arms as his whole body was covered in flames. Tears were starting to fall from her eyes as she watched in horror that a man who she spoke to no less than five minutes ago was screaming in agony falling to the pavement trying desperately to put out the flames. Talitha continued to stare, too much in shock at what she was seeing, until her boss went quiet and stopped moving.

She closed her eyes and turned her head away hoping, praying, that what she saw was a horrible nightmare. She screamed and ducked down when the sound of a large cannon shattered her hopes as another explosion was made followed by screams. She looked up to see the local Alliance soldiers and a MAKO make their way towards the Hangout. ' _I gotta hide!_ ' she thought as she ran towards the alley way next to her. She turned back around to watch as the Alliance soldiers were firing their weapons at a target she couldn't see. One of the soldiers looked over to her and started shouting "Miss you need to get out of here! Head towards the outpost! It'll be-" He didn't finish his sentence as a bullet passed through and through the side of his neck and another went through the side of his head.

Talitha screamed at the death of the soldier, backing away from him as his body hit the pavement. More shuttles were heading off to different directions while others were landing near where the Alliance troopers were. The Alliance was able to hold their own against this unknown enemy with the help of the MAKO. But the enemy was relentless and kept exchanging bullets with them. Talitha saw a grenade land next to a pair of the Alliance troops. She tried to warn them but too late. The grenade went off. One of the troops flew in the opposite direction of her with only his torso intact. The other was torn apart by the blast as pieces of him flew everywhere.

She felt her stomach lurch at the sight. _'I can't stay here! I need to run!'_ she thought as Talitha picked herself up to run through the alley away from the battle currently taking place. She kept running, hearing gun fire everywhere, the screaming of the colonists, and, for some unknown reason, the laughter of those she assumed were the ones attacking. ' _Where am I going?! I need to get home! I need to see if mom and my sister are okay!_ ' she thought as she came to the end of the alleyway. Being cautious, Talitha looked around the street to see more Alliance soldiers fighting next to city hall. Making a left away from the soldiers Talitha ran towards her home, praying that her family was safe from this horrific disaster.

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 0826 – Alliance QRF Outpost**

Gunnery Chief Toombs was sitting on top of the wall with his men firing at the enemy force currently pushing their way towards the main entrance. One of his men was on the mounted machine gun firing in quick five to seven round burst. This was to maintain accuracy while continuing with suppressive fire. The attack started not even seven minutes ago and already it was hell. Toombs had already witnessed several good men fall to these slaver bastards.

Aiming down his Avenger assault rifle, Toombs sighted another enemy. Squeezing the trigger, he sent several rounds down range towards his target. He sighed in relief as most of his shots connected with the slaver's chest. The slaver must have been new or incredibly dumb as he didn't even have a shield projector to block the rounds. He wasn't going to complain however, nor did he have time to as more of the enemy slavers came.

"These fucking parasites are really intent on taking this base. Don't let these fuckers set foot in this base!" Toombs yelled to his men which their reply was to continue firing at the enemy slavers. An explosion from the west side of the base drew his attention as smoke and fire could be seen rising up. The click in his earpiece notified him to the incoming transmission, " _Anti-Air Battery Bravo has been destroyed. All ground units be advised; enemy air inbound over the west gate."_ Toombs looked over and saw several shuttles already making their way over the wall of the base.

One shuttle was hit from below and erupted into several fiery pieces. Those shuttles that did land were immediately met with fire from the second line of defense. A mounted machine gun was making itself known as several slavers making their way out of a shuttle were torn apart by the weapon's anti-armor rounds. Toombs looked back over to his section of the wall to guard and saw several rocket soldiers taking aim at the gate. His eyes widen realizing too late that he was the only one who noticed what was about to happen.

The slavers on the ground fired their rockets at once, sending several of the explosive projectiles racing to their target. When they hit, the explosion knocked Toombs off his feet. The force was more than adequate to blast the gates open. The men on the second line witnessed the event, however they were stunned by what they saw. A second mounted machine gun swiveled its duo barrel towards the now open north gate, already with several enemy slavers pushing through the entrance. The man operating the gun took aim and squeezed the trigger. In seconds hundreds of armor piercing rounds were flying in the direction of slaver men and batarians. Those smart enough to take cover fired back. Those unlucky enough to be out in the open were ripped apart by the ferocity of the mounted machine gun.

Chief Toombs got back to his feet. Looking to his left and right, he saw his troop numbers had fallen. At least four were killed from the blast. Some were knocked down from the force of the blast while the rest recovered and continued to fight. Those like him who fell from the blast were getting back into a defensive position to continue to try and hold off the slavers. Chief Toombs took a chance to look on towards the colony. More pillars of smoke could be seen rising to the sky. In a sort of dark imagination, they looked like fingers closing their grip on the colony.

A bullet ricocheted off the section of wall he was currently crouched behind, bringing him back out of his thoughts. Chief Toombs looked towards the direction of another rocket slaver running towards the gate. Bringing the buttstock of his rifle back to his shoulder, Toombs took aim at the slaver. Squeezing the trigger, his Avenger rifle came to life as it cut down another target.

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 0903 – Joseph**

"SHIT!" Joseph yelled out as an Alliance gunship crashed in the middle of the road he was driving on. Slamming on his breaks to avoid hitting the downed gunship, Joseph sharply veered off to the right as well. This had the worst effect possible as the tail end of his truck skidded from the brakes causing the truck to flip. Bracing for the inevitable, Joseph placed both his hands flat against the roof as he felt his truck starting to lean to his left. As the truck flipped and rolled Joseph gritted his teeth while struggling to keep himself rigid in the driver's seat. After two full rolls the truck finally stopped on its top.

Joseph coughed out. His jaw felt stiff from clenching his teeth so hard. He looked out of ruined windshield and saw some Alliance soldiers fighting alongside a MAKO. It had been almost over forty-five minutes since the attack on the colony, just as Joseph had reached the outer edges of the colony when it began. Normally the drive from the base to his home would only take thirty minutes. However, with all the fighting Joseph was only a quarter of the way into the colony. Everything was chaotic. People were running away in different directions, each trying to get themselves or their family to one of the three remaining disaster shelters.

The local Alliance not defending the base were defending the more important locations of the colony. It was sad that they couldn't do more to defend the rest of the colony, but it was understandable. The main colony was just too large for the amount of forces stationed here to fully defend. Already the area the kids referred to as the Hangout was a dark zone. Having hacked into the local Alliance communications, the area was apparently being used as a staging area to attack the other key locations. The school, the hospital, and city hall were being used as disaster shelters for the civilians. That wouldn't last long however as city hall was preparing to be attacked.

Joseph looked down to his seat belt. Not surprisingly when he tried pushing the release button, he found it to be jammed from the roll over. Turning on his omni-blade, he made short work of the strap holding him down, but the landing wasn't as graceful as he hoped when he landed with a resounding thud. Checking the area to see it was clear, Joseph proceeded to pull himself out of his ruined truck. Screaming caught his attention from the clothing store nearby, ' _I don't have time for this…. but I can't just leave either-_ ' He could hear more screaming as he continued with his internal debate. Finally moving in the direction of the screaming he voiced out loud, "Fuck it. Whoever is there needs help. I'll be damned if I just stand back and do nothing."

The screaming was coming from the clothing store as he had guessed before, however this time he could make out the voices of everyone inside, "LET GO OF ME!" "PLEASE! LET HER GO! YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU WANT WITH ME! JUST PLEASE LET HER GO!" Laughing could also be heard. It was from multiple people, from the sound of it, Joseph could tell it was at least three men. Their laughter died down as someone spoke up, "Oh don't worry. Once we're done with her we'll gladly do what we want with you." With the way the voice sounded, it made Joseph's skin crawl and a cold feeling run through his spine.

Stopping by the side of the entrance, Joseph peeked in to see five people; three men and two women. Looking at the two women again, he couldn't really count one of them as a full grown woman yet. She looked to be younger than Jane and Miranda, and they were sixteen right now. The older woman was probably the girl's mother; she couldn't have been more than Hannah's age of thirty-nine they were very similar in appearance. Both were attractive but not overly beautiful.

Although, the three men apparently could care less what they looked like. One was holding the older woman with one arm wrapped around her neck with his other hand holding her wrist to keep her from struggling too much. The other two men were currently on the floor holding the young girl. One was behind her holding her arms down while the other was directly over her. "GET OFF OF ME YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!" the young girl screamed out while trying kick off the assailant over her. The man was armored and a lot bigger than the girl; the girl's efforts to kick him off made the man laugh almost sadistically "Hahaha I really like that mouth on you. Trust me when I say it's going to be used a lot today. Along WITH EVERYTHING ELSE!" As he shouted, he reached forward to grab the girl's shirt and proceeded to rip the girls clothes off of her as ferociously as he could.

Joseph watched as the girl's mother started shouting again, begging them to stop while the girl kept trying to kick off her potential assaulter. ' _Sixteen seconds_ ' Joseph thought as he finally stepped out towards the group. ' _one, one thousand; two, one thousand_ ' he continued to count as he closed the distance between. The group were too focused on each other to notice Joseph's presence. _'six, one thousand; seven, one thousand'_. The older woman was the first to notice Joseph, making eye contact with him as he activated his omni-blade. Grabbing the first man's wrist and twisting to force him to let go of the mother, Joseph moved his omni-blade towards the man's exposed chest as the woman had managed to move out of his grasp. The hot blade went through the first man as easily as any blade going through butter. ' _Ten, one thousand_ ' Using the momentum he built up, Joseph lifted the man with his bladed hand while adjusting his grip on the man's wrist to throw him in an alternate form of a shoulder toss. The direction he threw the now dead man was towards his two other companions.

The dead man hit the second man who was currently trying to rip off the girl's undergarments. The force sent the second man forward into the third, releasing the girl from their grip. ' _Thirteen, one thousand_ ', Joseph jumped into the air already with his omni-blade pulled back. The girl had just moved out of the spot where he landed, as Joseph brought his blade forward, plunging it into the third man's head. As the second man was getting back up, he looked to see a flash of the orange omni-blade swiping at his neck. The second man blinked, the attack happened so fast that his brain didn't process that he was dead until his head landed a foot away from his body.

' _Eighteen, one thousand; looks like I'm not as fast as I used to be. Must be getting older_ ' Joseph thought as he relaxed, his omni-blade retracting back into his omni-tool. The mother rushed to her daughter, wrapping her arms around her tightly, "Sarah! Thank god!" The daughter named Sarah started crying as she wrapped her arms around her mother, "Mom…that…that was…" Sarah said between her crying as she clung to her mother. Both looked to Joseph as he had come back with a blanket to wrap around the girl. They looked at him with curiosity and fear. Curious as to who he was. Fearful as they both wondered if he was a bigger threat than the three men he just killed.

Joseph saw the look in their eyes. Trying his best to give a reassuring smile, he finally spoke up, "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt either of you. My name is Joseph Shepard; I work with the Alliance." The mother seemed to relax a little; Sarah however, was a little more hesitant. She had almost been raped a few minutes ago after all, so her trust for others was non-existent at the moment. Sarah spoke up first, "Why did you help us?" Joseph looked at the Sarah, his next words were spoken like it was the most obvious reason in the word, "Because you needed help and I was in a position to help."

The mother spoke up, "Thank you for saving my daughter. Those men would have hurt her in more ways than I care to imagine if you hadn't shown up when you did." Joseph looked at her saying "You don't need to thank me. We're not out of the woods yet. We should be near the school. It's defensible and the Alliance is defending it. But if I were to be honest, it won't hold out." Sarah looked alarmed at Joseph's opinion, "Why? If the Alliance is fighting, then-" Joseph held his hand up to quickly stop this from becoming an argument "I said what I said because from a tactical view, the Alliance is far outnumbered. The enemy knows this and has already taken one of the key points of this colony. They're already moving on city hall, which is a second point. If you want to survive this, then your best chance is to get outside the main colony. Head for the mountains."

Sarah shared a look with her mother. Joseph thought that the mountains beyond the forest were far enough to be ignored by the slavers. The disaster shelters would only last so long before they fell. Not only that but those people still inside would either be killed, or enslaved with the control collars the slavers loved to use. To be honest Joseph couldn't be sure what was worse. From survivor tales, the control collars imbed itself into the back of the wearer's neck. This process is not quick nor is it without suffering. Once imbedded, the collars act like shock collars but on a greater extreme. The wearer is put through tremendous amounts of pain to be made docile. This process of "taming" is depended on the wearer. It can take days, weeks, and in some cases months; but the effects are traumatic as the wearer's will be slowly destroyed and turned into an obedient servant. Some rescue operation reports have stated that the slaver's victims had willing thrown themselves into the line of fire to protect their masters.

' _I can only pray that doesn't happen to John and Miranda_ ' Joseph thought as the two in front of him finally started to get up on their feet. The mother looked to her daughter saying "Go see if you can find some clothes Sarah. I'll see if I can find something to defend ourselves with." Sarah nodded and went to do as her mother asked of her. The mother looked at Joseph before asking "What do you think would be the best route for us to take?" Joseph thought for a moment, then looked up realizing the fastest way to get out of the colony would be straight through the park. The same park that was already controlled by the slavers.

"I can only suggest taking the alleyways going east. Try and avoid the main roads and the areas around the disaster shelters. Both is a fast way to get yourselves killed. The slavers will be heading to each of the shelters at one point or another so they will not be safe. Try to get as many stragglers as you can, however move in small groups to avoid being detected." The mother nodded. She looked down at the slavers and decided to take two of their pistols still holstered at their hips. Joseph went ahead and took the third for himself, along with a serrated knife, and a few incendiary grenades.

After Sarah finished getting dressed, both groups said their farewells and wished them the best of luck in their individual endeavors. Joseph looked in the direction of the Hangout. A click was made in his ear piece of an incoming message, " _All active Alliance personnel, update to follow; city hall has been overrun by enemy personnel. Civilian casualties currently unknown. All Alliance personnel defending city hall have been confirmed Killed In Action_."

Joseph sighed as he looked in the direction of where City Hall was located. He could see smoke rising higher and higher. Looking around the large pillars of smoke were starting to blacken out the sun. He looked down with a solemn expression as he spoke "May God have mercy on those poor souls who aren't at his side already."

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 0920 – Shepard and Miranda**

John looked into her eyes with as much defiance as he could muster. Miranda met his gaze with one of her own to match. A knowing smirk was formed by her lips. Miranda knew he found the smirk irritating when they were like this, "John…it's checkmate." John looked down at the board. No matter how he looked at it, he still couldn't believe how fast she beat him. ' _How the hell did she beat me like that?_ ' John thought as he tilted his head still staring at the chess board.

"It's because we can hear each other's thoughts John. _Remember_." Miranda's smirk grew into a smile as realization dawned on her boyfriend's face. She always did love how her John's face could form cute expressions when he realized he was an idiot for overlooking the obvious. John raised his eyebrow, then sunk his head in defeat as he said "I'm an idiot." Miranda couldn't help but laugh at that. She tried her hardest to settle it down, but John looked at her with a frown that sent her on another laughing fit.

Miranda tried to talk in between laughs, "I'm…sorry John…I don't mean-" John only stood up and looked at her. She had a hand over her mouth to try and stifle her laughing, with moderate success. Seeing his girlfriend still suppressing a laugh, John's lips formed an evil grin as he said "I'll give you something to laugh about." Miranda saw he was about to attack her in their usual playful manner. The one which ended with her laughing too hard from being tickled and having a dizzy spell from lack of oxygen.

John charged at her as she yelped and sprang out of seat to avoid his hands. Miranda placed the couch between herself and John, hoping it would protect her. John however felt the need to close the distance as he decided to use the couch seat as a spring board to propel himself over and towards her. Miranda always marveled at how John could still surprise her with his antics and "death defying" leaps. As John landed he caught Miranda in his arms and proceeded to torture her ticklish areas of her body that he had become quite knowledgeable with over the years. During the moment Miranda stumbled backwards bringing John with her.

Both of the teenagers were on the living room floor laughing. When John opened his eyes, after getting his laughter under control, he looked at the beautiful face of his girlfriend who was laying underneath him. As he stared at her, he was committing every single detail of her expression to memory. When she smiled for him, John fell in love with her again. He knew he was lucky to have her in his life. When she laughed he found it to be angelic. He'd never tire of it he thought and he'd see to it that she always found a reason to laugh and smile.

Miranda stopped laughing and looked up at John. She could feel the intensity of his gaze on her. Unable to keep his gaze, Miranda turned her head as she felt her cheeks and neck getting warm. He was laying on top of her and could feel his heart beat faster. It matched her own as she felt her body being pressed against his with John's knee in between her legs. After breakfast she had decided to change into a knee length skirt that was currently riding up past her thigh. Miranda lips parted as she gasped; John's knee had pressed against her intimate area which felt like a shock of electricity run through her body.

This wasn't the first time the young couple had been in a position like this. Lately their relationship had progressed to a more intimate level, but not progressing past the removing of clothing. On some nights, the two would sometimes find themselves in a heated kissing session, both grabbing and exploring different parts of each other's bodies. John however never touch Miranda down below her waist. He felt that if she wasn't ready, he would stop himself from progressing any further.

Today was no exception as John made to remove himself from her. However today something compelled Miranda to place one hand on his shoulder and the other behind his neck. John stopped moving as Miranda's hands gripped him tighter. Her crystal blue eyes returned to his darkened shade of blue. John looked into her eyes and saw a range of emotions swirling together, her breathing also getting heavier. He could feel her pull his head down to her. The pull was the only confirmation he needed as his lips met hers. This was not a loving kiss that they had shared numerously throughout their short relationship. The feelings behind their kiss was one of longing, and passion. The passion that leads to lust was making itself more known as both Miranda and John could feel their bodies heating up from the contact. Miranda opened her mouth to allow him access as she felt his tongue lick her bottom lip. Both of their tongues danced and mingled with each other while their hands were once more exploring each other's bodies. Miranda could feel the muscles on John's back through his shirt as she dragged her fingers down his shoulder blades and lower back. John had relinquished his lips from hers and started to kiss her jaw line as he dragged his lips down to her neck.

She moaned softly as she felt his hot breath on her skin. She gasped when she felt one of his hands go under her shirt, feeling his callous hand gently rubbing its way up to her breast. Being mid-summer, Miranda (along with Jane when she was in the house as well) would sometimes forego wearing a bra. Mindoir summers tended to get hot and today was one such day where she felt it was too hot and uncomfortable to wear a bra. Bringing his lips down to Miranda's collar bone, John started to softly suck on her skin while using his hand to massage and fondle her breast. Miranda couldn't stifle the moaning that escaped from her lips as John's thumb traced and rubbed her now hardened nipple; the heat she was feeling inside her body was becoming more intense, more desperate for John to continue touching her. However, the hardwood floors of the living room were becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Miranda stopped John to stand up. He looked a little pained by her action but that quickly changed as she took his hand and practically dragged him towards the couch. Before things could proceed further however, a sound outside stopped them both in their tracks.

The sound was not a familiar one to either of them. It was a low rumble, like a distant thunder storm. Thunder storms on Mindoir weren't uncommon but the rainy season of Mindoir wasn't till a month or two away. And they never produced a sound like what they just heard. John looked towards the direction of where the sound came from, then looked back at Miranda before saying "I'll go look." As John made his way to the front door, something in the back of his mind told him that the sound that they heard wasn't a storm. Grabbing the door knob, another low rumble was heard. He opened the door, looking around the front yard first to see if anything was there. Looking up in the direction of the sound, John could see a large pillar of black smoke. He looked in the direction of the main colony only to see more pillars of smoke, " _Miranda, you need to see this._ "

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 0928 – Alliance QRF Outpost**

Gunnery Chief Toombs stood gingerly on his injured leg. The last attack on the base was a big one. Both the barracks building as well as the south and east gate had been destroyed. That was not to include the north gate being blasted open and the west being seized more than an hour ago. During that hour he and his men were forced to pull back to the second defense line. That proved to be a difficult task even with the mounted machine guns providing cover fire. He lost more men retreating than he did defending the wall.

It was frustrating. His troopers died following an order that should've been made when the north gate was hit with the rocket barrage. But he couldn't change what was already. The second line was more defensible, or would have been if they had more men. By the time the order to pull back was made, the defensive forces had dwindled down to less than forty-five percent operational. In Toombs' opinion that wasn't saying much since the defensive force of the base consisted of only one hundred and sixty-two personnel.

Doing the numbers in his head, Toombs estimated that the remaining base defenders were less than 80 now. That number was rapidly dropping as the last attack had scored a sizable blow to their defense. The enemy had used a few gunships to make a strafing run down the defensive line. The attack had left serious pockets in their line along with damaging two of their mounted machine guns. The familiar click of Toombs' radio sounded letting him know of the incoming transmission from command, " _All remain-*static*-liance base defenders-*static*-treat back to base head-*static*-say again re-*static*-quarters._ "

Toombs looked down the line towards his men before shouting "FALL BACK! EVERYONE! FALL BACK TO HQ!" The other remaining NCOs started shouting out similar orders for the men under their command. At least shouting to the few soldiers that had remained standing from the last assault. Toombs made sure his men were on their way to the headquarters with the wounded in front before proceeding as well. The enemy slavers were already making their way to the second line. Once he was back with his men he started giving orders to station themselves behind what little cover they could find, and to get on the few remaining machine guns left. Turning his attention back over to the second line, Toombs could spot the slavers turning the still functioning machine guns around to face the headquarters. Little did the slavers know, the machine guns were rigged with charges that would detonate once the signal from command was given.

Once again the click in his earpiece sounded, " _Charges armed; initiating detonation in 3, 2, 1_ " **BOOM!** Every remaining gun on the second line detonated, sending shrapnel and fire in all directions. The slavers standing next to the guns were vaporized. Some standing a relatively close distance from the guns were impaled by the pieces of hot metal that once was the mounted machine guns. After witnessing the explosions, most of the men let out a triumphant cheer, many raising their rifles in the air.

The relief was short lived as the engines of a pair of gunships came roaring through, firing their mounted chain guns and a few rockets. The desired effect was devastating to defending forces. Toombs had to force himself to stand on his feet as a blast from a rocket knocked him back into a pillar. His left arm hung loosely as the effect from the blow dislocated his shoulder. He looked around and couldn't believe it. Their force was once again cut down roughly a quarter. Men and pieces of men lay on the ground scattered and disfigured. Toombs shuddered as he took in the carnage. He let out a tired sigh and thought ' _I don't think we're going to last this…We've lost too many and that isn't including the defenders in the colony…I hope my family got out safe…_ ' Looking at the faces of the men still around, Toombs could see they had lost hope with that last attack. If they continued down their own self-destruction they would die faster than they needed to.

Standing up to his full height, he cleared his throat before speaking, "Gentlemen…I know things look hopeless for us…many of you never thought you would be defending yourselves from shit like this (he pointed in the direction of the second defense line) and I know many of you are worried for your families still in the colony…" Toombs looked around to see he had gotten the attention of those around him. To his credit, they all waited for him to finish, "I too am worried about my son and wife…and as much as I hate to admit this…surviving is looking more and more impossible…however, I say if I am to die today…then I intend to take as many of these fuckers with me! I will not go down without a fight! I AM DAMN SURE GOING TO MAKE THOSE COCK SUCKING SONS OF BITCHES KNOW THAT THIS IS MY HOME AND I WON'T GO DOWN WITHOUT TAKING THEM WITH ME!" As Toombs spoke, some of the men were starting to right themselves up, some even laughed at his use of vulgar language. "What do you say men? Are you going to simply lie down I take dying like little virgins on your first time after prom? OR ARE YOU GOING TO JOIN ME IN SHOWING THEM THAT THEY AIN'T SHIT, THEIR FRIENDS ARE PUSSIES, AND THAT YOU ARE GOING TO FUCKING STRANGLE THEM WITH THEIR OWN INARDS BEFORE WE MEET OUR MAKER?" The men let out a battle cry, raising their fists and rifles as they shouted and cursed at their foe who were finally starting to approach. Toombs looked at one of the few corps men still standing before shouting at him, "Doc! Come straighten my shoulder up so I can fucking kill something!" The men laughed at their Gunnery Chief, as they looked on towards the wave of enemies. Taking aim, they squeezed their triggers and rained hell on their foe.

 **A/N: If that was hard to read…then I wrote it right. If it's not…then wait till part two. Obviously I'm not done yet. So what did you guys think. This was my first time trying my hand at some (cough) heated stuff. I'm not sure if I did good or not. Hey though that's where you guys come in. As always review if you got tips or comments about the chapter of items from the chapter.**

 **One more thing, I scene with Joseph counting, yeah I totally got that from the Equalizer (which I do not own and greatly enjoyed watching. Denzel Washington is always a bad ass).**

 **Hope you like this. Next chapter: part 2 of Hearts of Many and we will kick off with Talitha. Also might kill a lot more people. Who knows. We'll see how it goes when I start typing.**

 **P.S.: I don't own anything from Mass Effect. That's all Bioware and I am still waiting to pre-order Andromeda.**


	7. Hearts of Monsters Pt 2

Mass Effect: Hearts of Many Through Time

Chapter 7: Hearts of Monsters Part Two

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 0956 – Talitha**

Off in the distance an explosion could be heard. The sounds of gunfire would make itself known followed by the unmistakable cry of a poor soul on the receiving end. Occasionally someone's cries for help could be heard over the fighting. The cries filled with pain, fear, agony. It was becoming too much for Talitha. She had to place a hand on the tree she stood next to less she falls under the weight of it all.

It had only been over an hour and a half since the attack started. Just a little over ninety minutes and Talitha had seen nothing but more violence, more destruction, and of course more death. The most horrific scene she stumbled on was a group of slavers had rounded up less than a dozen people.

One of the slavers noticed a small boy clinging to his mother, crying and wishing for the bad men to go away. The slaver had moved towards the mother trying to console her child. In a violent motion, he pried the boy from his mother as he kicked her in the stomach. The boy screamed for his mother, while she lay on the ground reaching her hand out to her son why begging for the slaver to not hurt him. Her words fell on deaf ears as the slaver pulled forth a serrated blade from behind his back. Talitha watched in mortification as the slaver impaled the boy through his chest, killing him instantly. However, the slaver wasn't done; he decided to throw the boy towards a burning pile of bodies. The mother screamed and screamed in agony as she watched her son be killed without remorse. She ran towards her son's burning body, only making a few short strides as the murderer of her child raised his pistol and shot her in the head. The force was so violent and abrupt that her body flew back.

Talitha had to place both her hands over her mouth to keep herself from screaming. Never in a million years could she believe or even attempt to imagine what she saw. The slaver didn't so much as twitch an eye or make any sort of emotion cross his face. He killed the mother and child as if he was at work and this was routine day for him. Much to her horror, the rest of the slavers were not done. A batarian wearing red armor, probably the captain of the group, spoke up with what sounded like disgust in his voice "This batch is poor quality. Clean slate!" When he was finished speaking, every slaver around the group of civilians raised their rifles. Panic and fear could be seen over the faces of the civilians. The slavers however couldn't care less if they were afraid; in fact, some of the slavers had a child-like smile as if they were looking forward to what was to come next. Every single one of the men holding a rifle took aim and pulled their triggers. The civilians were helpless, like cattle, being slaughtered. Some tried to run but were gunned down. Every single one of them was screaming over the blasts of the gunfire. Some of the slavers were laughing like children while others looked bored like the first slaver who butchered the boy and his mother.

Talitha could do nothing but watch until finally, she found sense enough to leave. Now standing below the tree, hopefully far enough away from the slavers, Talitha tried to gather herself again. The taste of vomit was still strong after what she had witnessed caused her to be sick and empty the contents of her stomach.

The event made her fear for her family. She greatly wished they were safe from this new form of hell that invaded their once peaceful lives. The only way she would be able to see if her mother and sister were safe is if she made it home. She had to see if they were alive. Nothing else mattered at this moment.

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 1031 – Miranda and John**

" _Miranda, do have everything?_ " Miranda heard John's voice ring through her head. " _Yes John. Did you open the safe? We can't move if you haven't_ " Miranda replied back. The safe was the family safe that had an assortment of items such as money, wills, and, more importantly considering their current circumstances, weapons. Being a military family, it was only natural that they own firearms. John and Jane's time aboard the various ships their mother served on, they both had developed a love for firearms which was only reinforced by their parents. Naturally when Miranda joined the family, the Shepards took it upon themselves to teach her how to properly use a firearm.

When asked why she needed to learn, it was Hannah who answered with, ' _Even though we're women, learning to fight is essential. In this household, we don't watch our men go off and fight on their own. We fight alongside them, shoulder to shoulder that way our enemies know not to mess with a Shepard'._ She was hesitant at first seeing as how Miranda was not a Shepard. That was quickly squashed when Hannah continued saying, ' _Child you are our responsibility now. You already have a place in our family. You may not be my daughter by blood but that doesn't mean I don't love you any less. You are a Shepard so long as you want to be. Besides, if I know my son, one day you will be my daughter'._

Other than that last part making her blush a bit at the implications, Miranda was touched at Hannah's paternal instincts and wrapped her arms around her quickly. So, she trained with John and Jane in the proper use of firearm, learning she had a natural gift for combat. " _Got it_ " she heard John say through their connection. A few minutes went by before Miranda heard John coming down the stairs. When she caught sight of him, he was wearing clothes that were suited for active movement (simple plain t-shirt with a pair of military style pants that were easy to move in). She herself was still wearing the skirt, only she had decided to put on boy shorts underneath that went to her mid-thigh along with a pair of boots that went up to her calves. In addition, she decided to put on a sports bra to support her ever growing bosom. To complete the outfit, Miranda now wore a magnetic belt harness to be able to place the weapon from the vault on her back without worry.

"Here" John said as he handed Miranda a shield generator. Normally this would only work with armored personnel; however, both Jane and John managed to tinker with the generator to be able to function without the external power source of an armor suit. The drawback from this adjustment was the shield generator had lesser damage protection. Accepting the generator, Miranda placed it over the strap on the small of her back feeling it lock into place. The brief low hum of the generator signaled that it was active and doing its job properly.

Aside from the shield, Miranda had also received a Mark X Stiletto Pistol that she to her side harness on her left. John had also given her a Mark X Avenger Assault rifle; the assault rifle may not have had a high damage output like most X series in its class, but the Avenger certainly made up for it with its increased amount of fire before overheating. The upgraded arms were a way to compensate for the lowered defense. John was also equipping himself with another Mark X Avenger and Mark X Stiletto. Both teenagers were quite accurate with their armaments so they felt confident they would be able to fight off whatever threat was currently making itself known at the main colony.

Miranda grew a thoughtful expression as she strategized their next course of action before finally voicing it, "John, we should head to the Waterfall. After the last upgrade Joseph and Jane made to it, I can't think of anywhere safer than there. Plus, it has a major natural resource as well as other food supplies in case we get trapped there for an extended period." John looked at her thoughtful before giving a grin and said, "Yes dear. Plus, we can maybe be able to test out a few of those upgrades that I've been dying to try." Miranda rolled her eyes and giggled at his child like enthusiasm. If there was one thing about her love that she can find adorable in a sense, it's that he gets giddy when he gets to try out a new "toy" as he likes to call them.

Minutes later the two teens were making their way through the forest towards what has become like a safe house for the family. Over the years of living on Mindoir, the Shepard teens had turned the cave behind the waterfall into a "bomb shelter" for lack of a better term. Once the parents found out, they thought it would be a good idea to turn it into a self-sufficient safe house with running water, power, plumbing, and even central air. The children never could figure out where their parents came up with the money to afford this. Especially the new upgrade which was a reinforced door with a pair of auto turrets, at least two dozen LOKI mech drones and two YMIR heavy mechs (both equipped with the small tactical yield should they sustain too much damage).

As the teens made their way to the waterfall, John I the lead held up his hand to stop Miranda. Looking over to her love she was about to ask why they stopped until she head the familiar sound of water. The problem was it wasn't just water that she was hearing as John confirmed her suspicions, "Voices. At least four if I hear them right." Miranda concentrated on the different voices trying to recognize them if she could, " _John, I hear at least two familiar voices. The others I can't tell for sure."_ John tried to do the same to see if he could recognize the voices, "Miri it sounds like one of them belongs to Ms. Bethany."

Ms. Bethany was Talitha's mother, the miss was because she never married the man who sired both Talitha and her sister. He passed away before getting the opportunity. John finally deciding to move closer until they could see the waterfall. Off to left of the pond where the waterfall runs off into was a group of at least a few dozen people, one of them being Ms. Bethany along with her youngest daughter Abigail. The others John couldn't really recognize. Most were children, probably from the elementary school, with several adults. One of the voices they heard belonged to Billy with a woman he assumed was his mother.

As they drew closer being sure to stay low in the bushes, the conversation of the group of people could be heard, "Where are we going to go? We can't just stay here." This was Billy's mother who was then replaced by Ms. Bethany whose voice showed annoyance at the woman, "Would you please just calm down and think for a minute. The mountain is our best and safest bet. The slavers wouldn't chase us that far." Another random adult walked up, a lot more skepticism in his voice, "Oh how would you know huh? For all we know they could be following us right now." The children of the group could hear the adult and became frightful at his statement. "Would you please calm down as well, you're scaring the children!" Ms. Bethany said with a scowl across her face at the frightened idiot.

" _John, what do we do? We can't just leave them, can we?"_ Miranda voiced through the connection as they continued to stare. The situation soon turned worse as a pair of men with weapons walked out, "Oh I don't think you should worry about the kids." One of them said as he and the other pointed their weapons, pistols from the looks of it, at the group. Looking over the pair, John deduced that they were part of the colony. Billy got in front of his mother as Ms. Bethany pulled Abigail behind her.

The second gunman looked over Ms. Bethany. From the way, he looked over her John could tell his intentions were perverse. Ms. Bethany look disgusted at the leering she was receiving "Why are you doing this? Aren't there more important things to worry about than you two looking for a quick fuck?" The second man said "It's because of what's going on that we decided to do this. Besides were far enough away from the main colony to worry about the slavers anyway. Also, were else am I going to see a nice piece of ass like yours?" Despite Ms. Bethany's age, she was still very attractive, something she was proud of but didn't flaunt.

" _Miri, we're taking them down. Let's split up. Make your way to the group and try to put up a barrier around them. I'll take out the men."_ John said receiving a nod from Miranda. A minute later she was making her way behind the group. By now the men had separated Ms. Bethany from the group after forcibly removing Abigail by hitting her across the face. The first man was standing guard while the second was holding onto Ms. Bethany, "Now, we're going to walk away. You are not going to follow us. If we see anyone coming after us, you die, then she dies. Got it?" Abigail was struggling against Billy who was holding her back, "Let go of my mother you bastards!" The first man didn't like that as he turned his pistol to the girl, "You know what? Fuck it."

Ms. Bethany cried out her daughter's name as the man pulled the trigger aiming to kill the young girl. Miranda, seeing what was about to transpire, rushed through the group and at the last moment before the man pulled the trigger casted a barrier around the group. With very little biotic training under her belt, casting this wide of a barrier was a huge feat for Miranda. She wasn't as proficient as she would like compared to her boyfriend, but she was still skilled and still growing. Thankfully she had made it just in time, as the bullet deflected off her barrier.

John, seeing his other half charging forward to protect Abigail, rushed forward with his own biotics flaring up. Biotics always came naturally to the Shepard twins, but both still trained as much as they could with them. Using his biotics to enhance his speed, John placed himself between the two gunmen and Ms. Bethany. Slamming his fist into the ground, he released a biotic shockwave in a circle around him to catch the two unsuspecting gunmen and Ms. Bethany in a lift field. Once both men were suspending off the ground, Miranda lowered the barrier, pulled her pistol from its holster taking aim at the first gunman while John aimed his rifle at the second. Not thinking of the consequences, both teens pulled their respective triggers. Miranda fired twice at her target, one round striking the floating man in the heart while the next round pierced through his forehead. John's target didn't fare any better as he fired a three-round burst into the second gunman's chest. His father would be proud as all three hit the gunman's heart.

Everyone watching was stunned at the two teens who just mercilessly killed the would-be aggressors. John went to catch Ms. Bethany as the lift field ended, however he didn't account for her weight as both came crashing to the ground with an "Umph". Ms. Bethany sat up with a groan, "Thank you John. Even though you're catch was less than graceful." John simply raised his thumb up and said "You're welcome." "MOM!" Abigail rushed her mother hugging her tightly while snuggling her head to her chest as her mother softly calmed her down.

Miranda walked over and kneeled next to John's head, placing a hand lovingly on his cheek, "Are you okay?" John smiled at her as he nodded. Miranda looked down at Ms. Bethany before looking at John, "Comfortable?" John raised an eyebrow before looking down at where Miranda had looked. Ms. Bethany was currently straddling over his waist. Also, he could feel her 'area' sitting right on top of his. Getting a little flustered, John coughed out "Excuse me Ms. Bethany?" gaining the woman's attention "Can you please get off me?" She looked down at her current position, blushed a bit thinking _'He's_ _ **grown**_ _up'_ before standing up and apologizing "Sorry about that."

"Shepard? What the hell are you guys doing here?" Billy walked up with his mother and the first frightened adult. "Hey John. Hey Miranda. Thanks for saving our asses." Miranda sarcastically said back to Billy while giving him a 'you're an idiot' look. John chuckled a bit at Miranda's antics while Billy simply glared back at Miranda. "Yes, thank you both for coming to our aid" Ms. Bethany said finally getting her daughter to calm down while giving Billy a look to shut up. "Alright, so what's the plan? We still can't stay here" Billy's mother, a woman named Lucy, voiced out still shaken from the earlier altercation with the two gunmen.

Miranda looked around at the large group of children before saying, "We get in the shelter and sit tight until the Alliance sends reinforcements. That's our best chance at surviving." The man from earlier, Jim from his name tag, decided to speak up, "Excuse me Miss whoever-the-hell-you-are, but what right do you have to tell us what to do? You're both just a couple of teenagers tha-" John knowing where this line of question was going voiced out, if a bit aggressively "First and foremost, insult her again and I'll ensure you're left behind to fend for yourself while we get to safety. Second, us 'teenagers' just helped in saving your life so from those men while you did nothing to protect anyone around you. Third, we have a safe house." While everyone perked up on that last part, Miranda was feeling warm and loved at John's protectiveness.

Lucy spoke first, "You two have a safe house? Will it fit all of us?" Each word she spoke held a bit more hope in it than before. Miranda nodded, "Yes, on both accounts. We have supplies to last at least a couple of years even with this amount of people. It also has running water and power along with plumbing and ventilation." People were starting to gather around, each of their faces showing a mixture of relief, hope, and exhaustion. "How can we trust you?" Jim once more questioned. People looked at them with hesitation now, after all they were complete strangers and no one offers help without wanting something.

John having had enough of this guy pointed his rifle at the man's head, "If we wanted to, we could just leave you hear to fend for yourselves. Honestly, I'm tempted to do that to just you. We didn't have to kill those men, we didn't have to tell you about our safe house, and we sure as hell still don't have to take everyone. I'll be damned however if you think I'm leaving these kids in the hands of people who can't defend them. Now shut up and follow us."

John lowered his rifle and started walking towards the kids. Some looked scared of him until he said with a big smile, "Alright, who's hungry? It's currently…11:03 and let me tell you I make a mean brunch. What do you say? Plus, I have something cool to show you all." The curiosity could be seen on their faces along with thoughtful looks about food. After that all the children started walking with John towards the waterfall, with Miranda next to him and the adults trailing behind them.

"Alright boys and girls, this is a secret base so no telling anyone okay?" John said to the kids who eagerly nodded. Miranda smiled at John's handling of the children _'he's oddly good with kids for some reason'._ They walked behind the waterfall towards the cave entrance. A large metal door was there to greet them; the children were awed while the adults were cautious except for Ms. Bethany and Abigail, both of whom were family friends with the Shepards.

John walked up to a panel on the while Miranda walked up to a second panel next to it. The panels revealed an intercom with a different message displayed on both. John's read 'What will you do when you fall' as Miranda's message read 'When will you stop?' John went to speak first then Miranda finished, "Rise and rise again." "Til lambs become lions". The panels closed as the door unlocked to reveal the interior of their safe house. Standing directing in front of them were the two YMIR mechs surrounded by the two dozen LOKI mechs along with two very big auto sentry turrets on the roof of the cave pointing at them.

"Scanning: Identification confirmed, welcome John Shepard, Miranda Lawson. Addendum: unknown personnel, acquiring targets." One the YMIR mechs called out until John raised his hand, "Hold fire. Unknown personnel identified as guests. Civilian non-combatant." The second YMIR mech replied "Command accepted. Unit standing down. Awaiting further instructions." After it was done, both mechs and the smaller droids assumed a more 'relaxed' position. John turned to the group of kids and adults before saying with a smile "Who's hungry?"

 **2170 Mindoir Orbit – Galactic Calendar 27 June 1106 – SSV EINSTEIN Combat Information Center (CIC)**

"Exiting out of FTL…3…2…1…and we are-MULTIPLE CONTACTS SIGHTED!" CPT Hernandez immediately perked up as his display filled with unknown icons, "Williams! Who are they and are they hostile?!" Specialist Williams, the Tactical Analyst, said, "Wait one; Captain unknown contacts identified as batarians vessels, at least a dozen. They're definitely not friendly sir! Sending targeting data." "Received, acquiring targets at positions 12 and 11" called out the Targeting and Weapons specialist, Specialist Campbell. _**"BRACE! BRACE! BRACE!"**_

CPT Hernandez and his staff rocked some in their seats as the ship shook. The Captain looked at his display as an image of his ship came affront showing red icons on the portside of the ship. "Sir, direct hit across port observation deck!" Ensign Wright called out. "Seal the compartment! Campbell! Blow that son of bitch who put wholes in my ship!" CPT Hernandez yelled out. "Yes Sir! Target..is..locked! FIRING!" the main monitor flashed to the cameras on the bow. The ship vibrated as a trio rounds shot off from the main gun through space landing on the starboard side of a batarians cruiser. The cruiser's shields where strong enough to absorb two of the rounds, however they quickly faltered as the third round broke through landing a hit on the ship.

"Campbell repeat! Mendez, tell the BELLFAST and BLISS to take out that escort trying to flank!" Both specialist replied "Aye Sir!" as the ship vibrated again. Without the cruiser's kinetic barriers to provide interference the three projectiles impacted the ship. One struck next to where the previous round struck while the second round miraculously struck the bridge of the ship. The third went slightly wide striking towards the stern, however the shot was irrelevant now their bridge was now destroyed.

Another display came to life showing the starboard camera view. The BELLFAST and the BLISS were using their speed as frigates to lay fire on the enemy frigate ship. The BELLFAST was acting as distraction, being sure to fire rounds to take down the enemy shields, as the BLISS circled around sending a couple of JAVELIN missiles towards rear propulsion engines of the enemy frigate. One missed and detonated off top of the ship while the other struck true to its target.

The staff watched as the BELLFAST and BLISS blitzed both the port and starboard sides of the now, each sending a pair of JAVELINs while simultaneously firing their main gun. The main cannons were cutting through the enemy frigate with little difficulty; however, it was the JAVELINs that finished the ship, striking the impact area of the main gun. Each of the JAVELINs imbedded itself in the ship before detonating. The enemy frigate was engulfed in an explosion leaving nothing but a few pieces remaining.

The staff cheered at their victory over the pair of ships, however small it may have been. "Alright! Get people to make emergency repairs on the observation deck. Mendez send out a message to the Alliance. Get me some god damn back to kick these bastards off our colony." "Aye, Aye Sir!" was the respective response when Williams spoke up "Sir, the rest of the enemy ships are holding position on the other side of the planet. Scans also show the main colony under siege by enemy forces. Pulling up satellite view now."

The main monitor on screen showed an aerial view of the colony as well as the surrounding area to include the local Alliance QRF outpost. At least five cruisers had landed on the edge of the colony. On closer inspection, there were large groups of people being herded on board. Many fires were raging throughout the colony as firefights could be seen still going on. The outpost was the hardest hit by far; parts of the wall were destroyed, line upon line of defenses were smoking. From the looks of the video it appeared the main headquarters building took several hits and more enemy forces were pouring in to take it.

CPT Hernandez recognized they needed help immediately, "Campbell, prepare orbital bombardment." He then pressed a button on his keypad before speaking, "Lieutenant Zabaleta, you're to oversee the ground assault. Take the first, second, and third platoon down to the colony. Save our people and kick some ass marines!" The crew aboard the ship erupted into cheers across the decks. Campbell, with a grin on his face said "Orbital drop targeted and locked. Firing in two, one, launching!"

 **A/N: Alright first, I'm sorry for the long delay. Aside from my medical issues recently, I've also been working nights and the holidays are coming up.**

 **Second, thank you everyone for reading my story. I know this chapter is rather short compared to previous chapters. I decided to post this portion seeing as I haven't post anything in months. I also know the last paragraph ends in a bit of a cliffhanger.**

 **Third, if you're wondering on the pass phrase used, it's from the movie Robin Hood with Russell Crow. If you haven't noticed I will be putting references like this every so often. I'm a big cinephile.**

 **Now:**

 **Z0mbi3sh0t: thank you for the positive review and yes absolutely I intend to make this a huge story. Honestly I'm going for the trilogy to include the areas in between such as (spoiler alert) the Skyllian Blitz, Akuze, Torfan, the events of Mass Effect with dlc. Post events like the two years between Mass Effect 1 and 2. Finally I'll be wrapping up with Mass Effect 3 to hopefully include the DLCs for that as well. Long project but hopefully will be worth it in the end.**

 **Scarease: I apologize for not getting back with you about including some of your OCs in my story. I do intend to review the list you sent me and if my memory serves me correctly I saw one hopeful.**

 **That's another thing if anyone has an idea for an OC for event during Mass Effect and forward let me. I like new ideas and wouldn't mind a challenge.**

 **Next chapter we go back to fighting on the base, see what Joseph and Talitha are up to, and maybe wrap up with big events. Until next time and as always please review to let me know what you think.**


	8. Hearts of Monsters Pt 3

Mass Effect: Hearts of Many Through Time

Chapter 8: Hearts of Monsters Part Three

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 1131 – Alliance QRF Outpost (56 seconds 'til orbital bombardment)**

"KEEP FIRING MEN! DON'T GIVE THEM ANOTHER INCH!" Gunnery Chief Toombs shouted over the radio to his remaining men. The past two hours had been long and brutal, not to mention bloody. Two hours ago, he had roughly sixty men remaining; but two hours is a long time for shit to turn sideways in more than one way. When they started fighting they were one hundred and sixty-two strong. Their position on the base gave them the advantage but after wave upon waves of enemies over the span of two hours had reduced the number of defenders to just under twenty. Thank god for their rifles that only need a cool down before being able to fire again. Conventional ammunition would've run out long ago.

A stray round deflected off his shields bringing him out of his thoughts. The metal plating on the mounted defense turret was doing an excellent job of…well protecting him. His men had taken up a position around the Headquarters building or what remained of it. Four turrets remained fixed at the points of a compass while four men spread themselves between each turret to form a circle around the base. A few rockets had impacted on the building, making sizeable wholes across the structure. Those on the inside who weren't injured were using the new 'windows' for cover as they fired their weapons. Some were fortunate enough to have assault rifles while others had to rely on their side arms.

(42 seconds)

Toombs kept his finger on the trigger of the massive gun, sending off round after armor piercing round towards his targets. As before some were fortunate enough to be in cover while others simply exploded into a gory red mist. "CHIEF! GUNSHIP, TEN O' CLOCK HIGH!" one of his troops called out. Looking slightly to his left he spotted said gunship looking to make a strafing run along their position. Swiveling his turret to aim at the gunship, Toombs pulled the trigger hoping to take out their new problem. "SOMEONE GET A LAUNCHER AND SHOOT THAT SON-OF-A-BITCH DOWN!" he called out. One of the men on the second floor of the building had just arrived with a missile launcher before taking aim and firing. The gunship's pilot was doing an excellent job of piloting as not many rounds were striking it's shields.

However, the pilot was not expecting the sudden impact of rockets. The shields immediately brought down it's shields, allowing Toombs to land successful shots on the gunship. The rounds had struck the engines and soon the ship was coming down in flames. The pilot knew he was done for; but instead of going down screaming, he steered the gunship as best as he could in the direction of his enemies. One final kamikaze run to ensure his death would be glorious. Toombs saw that the gunship was veering towards their position as he called out "COVER!"

The gunship fired off its remaining salvo of missiles towards the base defenders. There was no target locked, so each missile went off to some random target which dealt more damage than expected. Several struck the building killing some of the men inside. The rest fell across the circle of defenders killing several more. As the last missile struck, so did the gunship as it erupted in a ball of flames causing more men to be killed from the explosion.

Toombs was fortunate, or unfortunate depending on how you look at the situation. The blast of the final rocket had sent him flying; when he landed, he felt several cracks, almost knowing that he broke either an arm or a leg, or both considering the amount of pain he was in. Ironically, the blast that almost killed him had propelled him out of the way of the gunship's crash point.

(15 seconds)

Only a handful of the defenders were left. Only a handful remained after two hours of fighting. Those few remaining had already resigned themselves to their fate after observing the effects of the last attack. They had done more than what was expected from them against impossible odds. Most felt proud for making it 'til the end while others reflected on the 'I wish' moments of their lives.

Using his remaining unbroken limbs to drag himself to a sitting position against a piece of rubble, Toombs looked to his left and right to assess the damage caused by the kamikaze. Seeing so many of his men dead, he let out a tired sigh. Across the field, he could see the enemy walking towards his position. Walking, stalking even, the slavers saw that his men were spent after that last attack. Hell, he was feeling pretty spent as well. He used his last pack of medigel to stop the bleeding; it wouldn't fix his arm or leg but he wouldn't bleed out…he hoped. Although, it really didn't matter now, raising his right hand to his earpiece he spoke one last time with a haggard breath, "Gentlemen…it's been an honor…" His earpiece cracked to life as his men spoke up individually, "The honor was ours chief." "It was a good fight." "See you all in the next life." Toombs smiled as he radioed "Who's like us?!" He overheard the men on the radio and shouting out loud "DAMN FEW! AND THEY'RE ALL DEAD!"

(5)

Toombs grabbed his pistol which through some miracle stayed in its holster ' _Good luck son, take care of your mother_ '.

(4)

The slavers stopped advancing seeing Toombs raise his pistol in one final act of defiance. Some of the Batarians nodded in appreciation of the act, deeming him a warrior 'til the end.

(3)

A low rumble started to make itself known. Some of the slavers started looking around trying to figure out what the noise was while Toombs himself gained a somewhat nostalgic look, as if he's heard it before.

(2)

' _I'll be damned'_ he thought as he quickly radioed "Cover your ears boys!"

(1)

The rumble soon turned into a roar as high velocity rounds broke through the sky. The impact was deafening, as several rounds struck the surface were the slavers were scattered. The force of the blast was abrupt to the point the enemy didn't even scream, they simply perished under the tons of fire and iron raining down from the heavens.

Toombs had to cover his eyes as well as one of his ears from the flashes from the bombardment. Then just as quickly as it began, it stopped showing the area in front of him to be non-existent. Bodies, or pieces of bodies, lay scattered and charred from what could be called decimation. The ringing in his ears was constant for a few minutes; he was disoriented from the shock of what just happened. Being hopeful he raised his hand to his earpiece, "Get comfortable boys…I think backup will be showing up here soon." Toombs could almost swear he heard a collective sigh when someone spoke up, exhaustion clear in his voice "One hell of a morning, huh?".

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 1209 – Joseph**

Joseph was praying to God that he wasn't being followed. Considering the rear-view mirror, his prayers were wasted as he saw several blocks down that he was being followed. Looking closely, the slavers without helmets were pissed.

While trying to procure a vehicle, Joseph had made his way to the park where a large concentration of slavers and their prizes were located. Knowing that leaving these people to their fate was cruel, he managed to sabotage the cages they were currently in housed in. However, that wasn't enough realizing that all of them had the neural collars placed on them, effectively preventing them from escaping.

Joseph made his way to what appeared to be a makeshift command post. There, he saw a few slavers monitoring the video feeds from other groups. They were laughing, as if everything was a sitcom. Feeds were showing different things from defending Alliance soldiers getting killed, buildings being destroyed, large groups of people being rounded up. Some feeds were of personnel cameras being displayed. Joseph found those to be the worst; displays of women being raped, people being tortured,…children being murdered.

He was angry. These twisted beings found amusement in the slaughter of a colony. Silently he made his way into the command post to exact justice for these people. The four men never knew what hit them. Using his omni-blades Joseph sliced through the men with little resistance. The last man had managed to raise his rifle, only for Joseph to knock the rifle up while bringing his blade into the man's stomach. Using as much strength as he could muster, Joseph brought his arm up towards the man's head effectively bisecting the man.

Going to a console Joseph typed in commands to disable the neural collars on the people located around the camp. The people heard a zap and smelt something burning as they realized that the collars weren't working anymore. Joseph was leaving but decided to toss a few incendiary grenades into the command post before running off to find a vehicle. Once the grenades erupted the people started running in all directions, hoping to get free from their captors. The slavers were shouting about how the people got loose.

Instead of rounding everyone they simply started shooting. Once more people were screaming before being gunned down. Some were caught once more while others were killed. In the uproar, Joseph had managed to grab a truck after killing the guard next to it.

Now Joseph was driving as fast as he could with a group of slavers behind him. The sky was darkened from the smoke in the air. Everything was in utter chaos as the fighting got worse. He could only hope the Alliances would get here soon, and pray that John and Miranda were safe.

As if to add to his burdens, the side view mirror erupted into shards bringing Joseph out of his thoughts. The group of slavers following him had managed to catch up to within firing range before letting loose their rifles. Swerving around the road to avoid as much of the rounds as he could the rear windshield shattered as the slavers continued to fire on him. Making a turn towards the base, he had to shield his eyes as a bright flash could be seen. During his career in the Alliance, Joseph knew few things could make that flash and it all involved ordnance. Praying that the Alliance had finally made it, he pressed to gas petal to the floor, pushing the truck as fast as it could go. Checking his rearview mirror, it looked like the driver had shielded his eyes to, only for him to drive into a destroyed MAKO.

Finally, with relief he made it to the edge of the colony getting on the road that would take him to his home. He checked his rearview to see if anyone else was following him. Not spotting any he looked towards the road. It would take half an hour for Joseph to get home. Letting out a heavy sigh he continued driving, not realizing that a gunship had spotted him.

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 1222 – John and Miranda**

John was currently sitting in front of the terminal that controlled the base's security functions as well as maintaining the overall status of the Waterfall. Currently on screen was video feed from the cameras and movement sensors surrounding the base. It never ceased to amaze John on how fortified the Waterfall was; if his family was normal, nothing like this would be possible. " _I wonder what dad did before we were born. He said he had a friend who had some of this stuff laying around, but who the hell just has a YMIR mech 'laying around'?_ "

" _Probably someone with either a lot of money or someone of military background_ " John looked up from his pondering to see Miranda staring at him with a small smirk, "You have a habit of forgetting the Link John." He couldn't help but chuckle at that, "It's only been a couple of months since we actually started getting the hang of it Miri." John looked around at the civilians getting settled as best as they could. The children were playing with the board games and cards that were stored in one of the closest, or the equivalent in a cave.

The children seemed oblivious to the worries that plagued the many faces of the adults. Most of the them looked to be wondering what was going to happen or how long they would be able to stay. John could see Ms. Bethany in the kitchen with Abigail cleaning. Brunch was a big success, if he did say so himself, with the two ladies and Miranda helping him feed everyone. It seemed after having a full belly some of the immediate worries the group of people.

John still was having trouble figuring out why the colony was caught off guard. If the Alliance had sensors monitoring the planet then a warning should have been issued. However nothing came or was sent out; no form of warning was broadcast from the base. If there had been then things might be different. From what he gathered from the adults the first place to be attacked was the Hangout. Then it just spiraled down from there; the slavers were relentless in their pursuit taking the colony. The base was hit just as hard and if the that loud rumble, which he heard even from inside the cave, was any reference to go off then it was getting worse.

Now with nothing to do but think, John was wondering how his father was doing, if he was alive or dead or captured. Was he injured, alone or with another group of survivors? He knew his father would be helping where he could, which probably involved killing a few people...killing someone. That was something else on John's mind. He killed someone for the first time, and it was easier than he thought. It was frightening how easy it was to pull the trigger and end the lives of those idiots who were holding Ms. Bethany as a hostage. He thought he should feel something about killing them, guilt or some form of remorse yet he felt nothing. Did that make him a bad person?

Looking back on the event he could recall the man's face in almost perfect clarity. The way the muscles in jaw worked from looking surprised, then fearful, and finally how the life seemed to just leave his eyes. John's body was tensing to the point he was starting to shake from thinking about it. However, when a he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, he was brought out of his thoughts and looked up into eyes as blue as the sky.

Miranda could tell that something was eating her John up. If she had to take a guess, it was probably the same thing that was on her mind; the act of killing. John was a good person so she wasn't surprised that now that he was sitting down and things were settled that his thoughts would go back to herself and John killing the two gunmen. While keeping her gaze fixed on his Miranda lowered herself to sit in his lap. Placing a hand on the side of his face, she brought his head up to meet hers as she placed a kiss on his lips in as lovingly as possible. When she broke the contact, he was confused by the action, so she decided to explain herself, "It's okay John. You did nothing wrong. I know what you're doing and if you think that killing those two men was a bad thing then you need to stop that line of thinking. You saved Ms. Bethany from being taken by men who wouldn't have hesitated to do all kinds of despicable things to her, especially if they were willing to shoot Abigail in front of her. Remember I shot on of them as well, but the way I'm choosing to see it is if we did not intervene, a friend of ours would have been killed and we would've regretted it more. Killing those men saved the lives of these people. So please John, do not trouble yourself over this anymore than what is necessary."

John looked around him, at the children and adults currently finding peace and solace in the fact that they were safe. Nodding his head, he replied, "You're right Miri. Right now, wallowing won't help anyone. Not with everything going on. Thanks." Miranda simply kissed him once more before turning her attention to the screen. Her eyes narrowed on a particular screen that showed the road leading to the house. John caught the movement and looked at the same screen noticing a fast-moving cloud of dirt coming towards the house. It was still ten minutes out, but it would get there before they could reach the house themselves. The Waterfall was roughly eighteen minutes away from the house, and that is without trying to be sneaky and catch the attention of whoever is in the woods with not-so-friendly intentions.

Both John and Miranda continued to watch the dirt cloud approach until the shape of a truck became more visible. The camera feed soon detected a shuttle following the vehicle. From the looks of the shuttle, both teens guessed that whoever was on it, friendly wasn't a word to describe them. This was confirmed when one side of the shuttle bay doors lifted to see at least half a dozen men and batarians pointing their rifles to start shooting at the truck. John was wondering who was in the truck and what they did for them to be getting shot at. Miranda, although wondering why they were being shot, didn't have to wonder who was driving as the truck pulled up to a stop at the house, it's lone occupant stepping out of the driver's seat while taking cover behind the truck. Both Miranda and John's eyes went wide as they saw that it was Joseph who was shooting a pistol at the shuttle.

As the shuttle was touching down, they saw Joseph turn to make his way into the house. "Ms. Bethany! You're in charge!" Miranda looked down only to see John had already started making his way to the exit. She herself bolted after her boyfriend, praying that both would make it in time to help the man that she had come to call father.

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 1235 – Joseph**

Joseph pulled the trigger on his shotgun he had pulled from the family armory, blasting a hole into the chest of another human slaver. The recoil sent pain to his left shoulder from where he was shot while driving the truck. He once more berated himself on his sloppy work of making sure no one was tailing him. Now he found himself pinned down in his own home with eight slavers hitting him from different angles. The only solace he had was that John and Miranda were not in the house with him. When he had retrieved the shotgun, he saw that a couple of pistols and assault rifles were missing. That gave him comfort knowing that they had a means to defend themselves, at least until they get to their homemade fortress in the woods. He just prayed he'd make it out of this to see them again, yet deep down he knew that wasn't happening.

It seemed that fate had to agree with him; as he was recollecting his thoughts, the slavers got smart or impatient as two of them grabbed a rocket launcher each from the shuttle and fired at the house. The blast had destroyed the front door along with part of the wall Joseph was using for cover. Luckily, he was moving away from his position when it hit, yet he was unable to escape the concussive force that sent him flying through one of the walls.

The impact had left his body bruised and probably broken, the air in his lungs escaped as he crashed through the wall and landed on the floor. His ribs felt like they were on fire; Joseph's ears were ringing as his vision was focusing on a portrait. In it was his favorite people in the galaxy; his wonderful wife was standing next to on his right. Hannah's arm was wrapped around their daughter while on his left side was their son with his arm wrapped around the newest addition to the family. Few of the slavers made their way into the room he was lying in, both seemed angry that he was alive but then it turned into amusement. They roughly grabbed him and started dragging him to the front. He sent one last look at the portrait, in his heart knowing he wouldn't see it again.

Out on the front lawn, the slavers were cheering their victory of him. One of the batarians came over to stand in front of him, "So human, you think you have the right to kill my men, steal our truck, and set our goods loose?" He hit Joseph across his jaw, the armored fist effectively knocking a tooth out of his mouth. "For simply breathing and not dying like you're supposed to, we're going to make sure you pay for being an asshole" the Batarian slaver finished saying, his words acting as a sign for the other slavers to start beating Joseph to near death. Each blow felt like a hammer as their armor was making them more effective. He tried not to voice his pain but that became more of a motivation for the slavers to work harder. They were successful when one pulled out a baton and brought his blow down over his kneecap. His cry was immediate as he felt them strike the blows once more, then twice, and finally thrice.

The slavers stopped their beating and laughed at the cries he produced. The Batarian slaver spoke up, "Tie him up and put him on his knees." Joseph gritted his teeth as they put him on his broken kneecap roughly as they strapped a pair of omni-cuffs on his wrist behind his back. He looked up to see what they were doing when he had to look away again as they started pouring water on top of him. Yet when he tried to inhale air, the fumes from the liquid overpowered his senses telling him that it wasn't water but fuel. The Batarian slaver tossed the can away before bringing out a cigar from one of his pouches on his chest, while bringing out a lighter from a separate pouch. Another batarian standing next to him looked on in disgust as he asked, "How the hell can you stand those disgusting things?" The first Batarian slaver, having already lit the cigar, took a deep inhale of his nicotine before exhaling his reply, "If you've ever had an authentic Cuban cigar, you'd understand. Despite humans being a blight on the galaxy, they sure know how to make a smoke."

For Joseph's part, he could see his life flash as each inhale brought the flame of the cigar further down. He looked over to the wood line and thought he saw John and Miranda take cover in a bush. Guessing that was what he saw he put a smile on his face knowing that they were alive, yet it turned into a frown as he sensed that they were going to do something stupid like rescue him. He shook his head sending them a signal that he hoped they got. It was one thing for him to die, but if he saw his son and probable future-daughter-in-law die as well, he would rather the slavers kill him now and have them stay put or go back to the Waterfall.

Looking up at the cigar the Batarian was smoking, he couldn't help but think on his life. As he thought on it, he could say without a doubt that he wouldn't change a thing. He got to spend most of his life with a beautiful strong woman who birthed two children who he knew would go on to do great things. 'Both are strong willed like their mother and as stubborn as me, or so Hannah says' Joseph thought as the Batarian took on last drag of his cigar before turning to him. Looking into the eyes of one that would kill him Joseph said, "I know you don't believe me and probably think that what I'm going to tell you is meaningless; but I pray that you and your friends find a better life than this. Because if I was you, I'd be haunted with the faces of those I've killed till the end of my days."

It looked like the Batarian slaver considered his words as a thoughtful expression crossed his face. Yet it quickly faded as the Batarian smiled and said, "You know…you really need to stop taking things so seriously and just…" The smile got bigger and more sadistic when he moved to his hand holding the cigar, "Lighten up."

The Batarian slaver flicked the cigar towards Joseph's head, and through his eyes, the cigar was falling in slow motion. He could feel the heat as it came closer to his face; most would have shown fear or made a last-ditch effort to live, but Joseph did none of those things. He just watched with a calm expression as the cigar finally hit his skin. The effect was instant; the fuel coating his skin and clothing ignited in a flash as the flames proceeded to eat away everything that made up his body. The pain was excruciating, as the smell of his flesh being cooked entered his nostrils. Joseph though wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain. He gritted his teeth, his gaze still looking up at the Batarian slaver. Soon that to failed him as the flames burned his vision; more than likely it was his eyes that burned as he could no longer feel them anymore. Yet he heard what sounded like someone pulling out a weapon from its holster.

His sightless gaze never left the direction of the Batarian slaver whom he assumed held the gun. Joseph simply continued to look up at his killer, and did the only thing he knew to do when staring at death. He smiled.

 **2170 Mindoir – Galactic Calendar 27 June 1241 – John and Miranda**

…BANG…

…John couldn't believe it…yet his eyes and the logical part of his brain were telling him that his father was just killed…he was burned alive and then shot in the head. The man that he looked up to, saw as what an honorable human being should look like, was now dead. John could just make out the blood from the exit wound exploding from the back of his father's skull…

For all that logic and rationality however, John simply couldn't believe his father was killed like some animal. He couldn't except it as his body felt like it was on autopilot moving towards the group with unfocused eyes, simply staring at the burning husk that was his father. He felt a tug from Miranda, but his brain did not register the pull; his thoughts were just frozen on the flames. The group finally noticed him though as he was coming up behind them. Some parted out of the way mostly out of curiosity and amusement that some kid would carelessly walk up to a group of slavers. John though didn't care about them. He didn't care about anything; his dad was just killed…and he did nothing to prevent it. All because his father shook his head telling him not to. So, he didn't do anything but watched. Now however, he wished he had disobeyed him, if only to prevent the pain in his chest from consuming him.

John was so focused on the flames that his peripheral view of the slavers was a simple blur. It could've been the tears falling from his eyes or the hate boiling up inside from deep within himself. It didn't matter to him. He distinctly felt one of the slavers grab his arm but didn't pay it any mind and simply shrugged it off. Yet to those around him, it was far more than a shrug.

Miranda stood by watching the scene, she herself felt ill and cold as she watched her father figure be murdered without any hint of remorse. When one of the slavers went to tie John up, she moved to protect him thinking he was in too much shock to register he was in danger. Yet she watched as the person she loved sent out a pulse of red biotic energy to push the man off him. The pulse shocked the slavers surrounding John as well as herself. She could hear the slavers complaining that they couldn't move and curse that John was a biotic.

John kept them still, his biotics were floating around him almost calmly yet she knew her love wasn't calm. She could feel his turmoil through the bond they shared; John's emotions were anything but calm. To her, it felt like an inferno of hate, anger, violence, and every emotion that she could associate it with. It frightened her more when he fell to his knees and the slavers fell with him. Some cried out in pain as the force in which they were brought to the ground broke a few limbs. Miranda walked out towards her damaged home, keeping her biotics up to shield herself from John's. As she walked up, Miranda could hear gritting his teeth in anger and grief as he folded over crying. She watched as he raised his hand to beat on the ground, the slavers rising as his fist went up. When it came down, every slaver cried out as their bodies hit the ground with tremendous force. However, it didn't stop there as John's grief took hold and he continued to beat on the ground again…and again…and again.

Each time John brought their bodies flying and crashing, they let out screams of pain and agony as their bones cracked and limbs bent at awkward angles. After the tenth blow, most if not all of them, were dead but her love continued. When he was done, Miranda had to steel her nerves to go and stand by his side to comfort him in any way she could. The slavers were not recognizable as people but just lumps of bloody meat with pieces of metal sticking out of them.

Yet as Miranda walked up to kneel at his side, she was surprised when he didn't register that she was there. At least not until she wrapped her arms around him. She gently brought his head to lay atop her breast hoping that her heart beat would calm him down. It tore her up that there wasn't anything else she could do but felt some small measure of relief when he wrapped his arms around her own frame bringing her closer to him. "Ssshh John, I'm here. I got you love." She whispered into his hear trying to get him to calm down. It seemed to work as his body ceased shaking.

It felt like they stayed for hours, John crying on Miranda's breast as she rested her chin atop his head silently weeping herself. When he looked up at her, his eyes were puffy from the crying and his grief was still very much on the surface. "Thank y-" John went to thank Miranda for helping him, he was cut short by the pain of something shocking him. He heard Miranda cry out in pain as well from what looked like electricity arcing off both of their bodies.

"Potential threat subdued. Acquiring target now." John looked up from his spasming to see three men dressed in full tactical gear that was painted black. It looked expensive and way more professional than the group of slavers he had just killed. To his confusion and horror, they moved to cuff Miranda's wrist in front of her before dragging her away from him.

His grief was once more turning to anger as he tried to stand up to protect the girl who had become his other half. As they loaded Miranda up to their vehicle, John struggled to stand due to the volts of electricity still affecting him. Finally, though as they started driving away, his strength started to return along with his biotics coming back full force.

His body was shining red from the biotic power he was emitting, and his face was nothing but set determination aimed at those that took Miranda. Quickly making his way to the truck his father had driven to get there, John reversed the truck into a complete 180 degree turn before punching his foot on the gas to give chase to the other vehicle.

With Miranda, she was getting over the literal shock of being captured as the driver radioed, "Target obtained. Prep the shuttle for evac." Groggily she asked, "Who are you and where are you taking me?" The man next to her turned to see that she was awake having not noticed, yet before he could reply, the front passenger yelled out, "Vehicle from the rear. Williams take it out." Both the front passenger, which she guessed to be the leader, and the operative next to her stuck their torsos out the windows and started firing at the vehicle they mentioned.

She looked out the rear window, and gasped at seeing John driving an already damaged truck. The gun fire from the operatives were doing more damage as rounds bounced off the metal of the hood and roof. A few rounds came close to the driver's side making Miranda struggle against her bonds. She had to help her other half and couldn't think of anything at the moment.

Looking out the front windshield, she saw that they were fast approaching the colony. Either she was disoriented longer than she thought or they were driving stupidly fast. It was perhaps the later, however with that thought in mind, she turned towards the operative closer to her as he once more stuck his torso out to firer at John. He was surprisingly accurate as the rounds were coming to close to where John's head was. So, bringing her biotics to bear, she brought her knees to her chest and kicked the operative in the back. The force of the kick, enhanced by her biotics, blew the man along with the door out of the vehicle.

Tracking his movement, Miranda watched as the man sailed through the air with his head striking the front of John's truck. She didn't have time to celebrate her victory as the leader brought his omni-tool, sparkling with electricity, to her stomach. The cried out in pain as the shock ran throughout her body. She spasmed uncontrollably from the voltage coursing its way through her muscles.

The vehicle continued making its way to the colony when it was forced to stop. The leader and the driver quickly got out to drag Miranda out of the back seat while she was still disoriented. Her vision was fading in and out, but she stayed conscious enough to see what was going on, including seeing John crash into a pair of slavers that started firing at him.

John didn't have time for a bunch of assholes getting in his way trying to shoot him. Getting out of the truck that had made a stain of the two men he had just hit, John raced his way in the direction he felt Miranda was being taken through. His anger was fueling his movements but his mind was still absorbing everything around him. From the few screams of people being taken, the laughter of slavers finding humor in their cruelty, and to the bodies and destruction that laid bare to all who walked the streets. However, that wasn't on his priority list right now; first and foremost was getting Miranda back. Nothing in this death consumed colony was going to stop him.

A trio of slavers found out the hard way as they spotted him. He must have struck a threatening picture as they brought their rifles up and started firing at him. John brought his arms to his face to shield him, however he need not have worried as his biotics were formed into a barrier. It seemed they were so strong that the rounds were deflecting off him harmlessly. Therefore, looking over to his side, he spotted a damaged car that he made to grab. The motion triggered a giant biotic hand to shoot out grabbing the front of the car. With a fury in his voice he cried out, "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" and threw the car towards the trio.

Two of the men cried out as the car smashed into them, killing them both instantly while the third miraculously jumped out of the way in time. His stroke of luck was cut short as John performed a Nova Charge on the man, his outstretched arms driving into the man's stomach. With ease that rivaled a krogan, John lifted the man overhead and ripped him in two at the waist. "John" he heard in his head, it was Miranda using their bond to call out to him, meaning she was still close. Turning towards the direction he felt her in, John took off sprinting at speeds he didn't know he was capable of.

Running down an alleyway he spotted the two men carrying a still disoriented Miranda while running off towards the direction of the Hangout. Sprinting down the alley way, he once more came across a group of slavers. Once more fueled by rage, he raised his hand up throwing a Singularity at the group. Most of the men and batarians weren't shield so where caught up in the gravity field to float helplessly around the mass effect field. John wasn't done yet as he picked up speed then disappeared into a Nova Charge hitting one of the floating men. One was enough however, as the two biotic forces collided causing the Singularity to collapse and explode outward sending the floating individuals flying to either be a stain on a wall or be impaled on the many pieces of debris laying around. Those who were lucky, or unlucky, had the misfortune of John picking up a nearby dumpster and slamming them into the ground with it. The men cried out but it was quickly cut off.

John spotted Miranda further down, just entering the Hangout. Yet between him and her, were a least a dozen slavers staring at him with weapons raised up. Crying out once more, he roared out "YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER FROM ME AS WELL!" The slavers opened fired but John didn't care as he went about killing the men in front of him. It didn't matter what race or gender they were as he simply killed those that opposed him. Individuals lost limbs from having them physically ripped off, others were crushed by thrown objects. Many were thrown about by Shockwaves ripping through their ranks. John didn't escape this unscathed however as few rounds managed to get through his barrier. Yet he would not be stopped from his goal; John absolutely refused to be stopped. Grabbing the last man by his face, he rushed towards a wall driving the man's head into the stone. Bone, blood, and brain matter went everywhere as his head exploded from the pressure.

Making his way through the Hangout, John spotted Miranda getting zapped once more by what he guessed was an Overload. He also saw that she was being loaded onto the shuttle that he assumed the men that had her came on. The leader spotted him as he cried out "Miranda!"

Miranda heard John's voice cut through the grogginess that she was feeling from getting multiple Overloads done on her. Her eyes focused on the person who called out to her. She could see the fear and panic on her love's face; reaching out to him she called out his name over their mental link and voice as well. In a flash John had charged towards her with using Nova, his being coming into full existence from the light speed he had just been flowing through. His hand was stretched out, hoping to grasp her own stretched out hand.

BANG!

…Miranda watched on, as if time itself slowed down just so she could memorize every single detail. The brief moment John's barrier fell as he stepped out of the Nova, the smoke coming from the leader's gun barrel, the small hole that formed right were John's heart would be, the blood coming out of John's back as the bullet exited his body. The pained expression crossing his eyes as his fingertips grazed her own, the way his body flew backwards as his momentum was killed, and the soft whisper coming from the bond, "Miranda". She screamed, gods did she scream using her voice and her bond, "JJJOOOHHHNNN!"

She felt a sharp pain on her arm, it faded quickly as whatever it was, it was putting her to sleep. Miranda felt the ship start lifting into the air as her eyes were slowly closing. "…John…" she called out to him one more time over as the shuttle door closed, blocking her view of the man that she loved.

John couldn't do a thing. His body felt like it was hit by a truck, god he was in so much pain. The wounds he had taken during the skirmishes he had and the bullet that just pierced his chest were weighing him down. They felt like they were forcing his body to remain still. "…John…" he heard her call out to him once more over their bond as the shuttle lifted off into the air before it became nonexistent. John continued to stare at the spot where the shuttle had disappeared. He didn't notice it earlier but it looked like the storm he had saw earlier on the weather radar back at the Waterfall had just moved in.

He felt the first few drops land on his face, his body laid out on the grass of the Hangout. The sky cracked with lightning and thunder as the rain came in a heavy downpour, as if trying to rid the colony of everything wrong happening. John didn't care though. The woman he cherished was taken from him, and he couldn't protect her when it mattered the most. He failed her. He failed his father. He failed his mother and sister. He suddenly felt very tired from it all, and couldn't help but give in. Slowly his eye lids closed on his vision. He was done, so why not rest. Thinking of Miranda, he called out to her one last time over the Link before his consciousness left him and darkness closed in.

 **A/N: Woah it's been a minute since I last updated. Life, who knew could be a pain in the ass huh? Sorry about that folks but hey here's something right. Now a couple of things, I didn't include 1lt Zabaleta and Talitha because I was planning on making their side of the event a sort of flashback for later chapters. You know give the story some more stuff.**

 **Yeah I killed Joseph I'm sorry if you guys like him but seeing how I didn't invest too much time on his character I don't really feel bad about.**

 **Now since I'm always looking for feedback please review and let me know what I could've done better or if you simply like the chapter.**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


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